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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. rule — a law
  5. drill — the tool
  6. game — a match
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. fall — to drop
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. chip — for betting
  13. bass — the fish
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. bass — low music
  18. deal — to handle
  19. chip — to eat
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fall — the season
  24. nail — on a finger

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