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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wound — an injury
  7. drill — army training
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. face — to confront
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. drill — a practice
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. face — part of the head
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. drill — the tool

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