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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. field — a subject
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. march — the month
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rule — government
  11. shower — rain
  12. snap — to click
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. drill — the tool
  15. rule — a law
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. field — for sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. drill — army training

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