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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 116 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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. rule — government
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. drill — army training
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a music group
  8. ground — crushed
  9. row — to paddle
  10. ground — a position
  11. squash — to crush
  12. rush — hurry
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. drill — a practice
  16. squash — the sport
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. game — a match
  20. rule — a law
  21. row — a line
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a kind of play

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