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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. spell — a short time
  3. ball — a great time
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — a law
  6. mark — a trace
  7. rule — government
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. spell — letters
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. ball — a dance
  21. game — wild animals
  22. drill — army training
  23. mark — a grade
  24. rule — to rule out

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