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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. game — wild animals
  3. drill — a practice
  4. object — an aim
  5. drill — army training
  6. row — a line
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. band — a ring
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. game — a match
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. row — to paddle
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law
  19. charge — in control
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. object — a thing
  23. perch — the fish
  24. object — to protest

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