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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a ring
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rule — a law
  9. drill — the tool
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. drill — army training
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. rule — government
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. date — the fruit

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