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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. drill — a practice
  4. content — the amount
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. vault — a safe
  9. roll — a cake
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lean — thin
  12. key — in music
  13. drill — army training
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. drill — the tool
  16. key — for a lock
  17. game — a match
  18. lean — to bend
  19. roll — a list
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. content — happy

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