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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rule — a law
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. rock — music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rule — government
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. chest — a box
  19. drill — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rock — a stone
  22. drill — a practice
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. fine — high quality

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