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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. firm — a company
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. firm — decided
  8. drill — army training
  9. chest — a box
  10. firm — steady
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. rule — government
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  24. rule — a law

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