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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 124 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. race — humankind
  5. land — ground
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bass — low music
  9. land — a country
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. race — a contest
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bass — the fish
  17. band — a music group
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. land — to come down
  20. charge — a price
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. race — the arms race

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