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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to point toward
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. drill — army training
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. face — to confront
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. drill — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. march — the month
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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