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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. drill — army training
  4. rule — a law
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. degree — temperature
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. spell — letters
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. rush — hurry
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bound — obliged
  20. spell — magic
  21. degree — an amount
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rush — to hurry

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