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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rule — a law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. chair — a leader
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. drill — a practice
  10. row — a line
  11. rule — government
  12. row — to paddle
  13. court — of law
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — army training
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. court — for sport
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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