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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 laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chest — of your body
  3. root — of a plant
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — army training
  9. wake — a trail
  10. drill — the tool
  11. rule — a law
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chest — a box
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. root — of a word
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bass — low music
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pound — a weight
  23. root — the cause
  24. dip — a sauce

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