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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 120 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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fork — in a road
  7. drill — army training
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a match
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — final
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — the season
  14. drill — the tool
  15. last — finally
  16. pop — music
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — the tool
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. last — to go on

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