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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. last — final
  7. club — for golf
  8. rule — government
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — a group
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stand — to bear
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pound — a weight
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. nail — on a finger

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