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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. ground — a position
  3. ball — a dance
  4. drill — army training
  5. pit — in a race
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. pit — a hole
  8. row — to paddle
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. row — a line
  12. ball — a great time
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. cue — a hint
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — crushed
  18. drill — a practice
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. cue — for pool
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cue — a signal
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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