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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rule — a law
  6. spell — letters
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — a short time
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. scale — size or range
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. hand — in cards
  20. fall — the season
  21. scale — in music
  22. hand — help
  23. spell — magic
  24. drill — a practice

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