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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. rule — government
  3. scale — size or range
  4. rest — a break
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. tube — the underground
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. game — a match
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rule — a law
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. game — wild animals
  14. bound — certain
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. tube — a container
  20. scale — in music
  21. bound — obliged
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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