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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. court — of law
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. dip — to sink
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wake — a trail

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