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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — to handle
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — a law
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. spring — of water
  11. ball — a dance
  12. roll — a list
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spring — a coil
  15. drill — a practice
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rule — government
  21. spring — the season
  22. ball — a great time
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. land — a country

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