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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 120 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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. branch — a division
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — government
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — a city
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. can — a tin
  14. snap — to click
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pass — a permit
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. capital — money
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — a tin
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. drill — army training

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