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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. club — for golf
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — a law
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mark — a grade
  8. band — a ring
  9. root — of a word
  10. cell — in biology
  11. drill — a practice
  12. club — a group
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wind — moving air
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. club — for dancing
  19. root — of a plant
  20. mark — a trace
  21. band — a music group
  22. drill — army training
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. root — the cause

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