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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 124 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. ground — a position
  3. shower — rain
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — part of the head
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. rule — government
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ground — crushed
  13. roll — a cake
  14. rule — a law
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — to confront
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. drill — army training
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. drill — a practice
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. roll — a list

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