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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. firm — a company
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — army training
  7. rule — a law
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. spring — a coil
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. firm — decided
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — a practice
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spring — the season
  19. firm — steady
  20. spring — of water
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wound — an injury
  23. file — a line of people
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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