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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. saw — the tool
  5. hand — help
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. season — of the year
  13. drill — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. rule — government

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