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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. hand — help
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rule — a law
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cap — a lid
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. drill — army training
  13. cap — of ice
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — hurry
  16. drill — the tool
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. rest — a break
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rule — government

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