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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. drill — army training
  5. toast — bread
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. shower — rain
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. drill — the tool
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. cell — in biology
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — a phone
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rule — a law
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — to grow

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