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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. net — after costs
  4. mug — a face
  5. drill — army training
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. spring — of water
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spring — a coil
  12. net — for catching
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. game — a match
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — the tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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