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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. drill — the tool
  3. file — a line of people
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a tool
  7. rule — government
  8. court — for sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rash — hasty
  12. drill — army training
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rule — a law
  15. press — to push
  16. court — of law
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. press — newspapers
  20. rash — a series
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. drill — a practice
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com