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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. stock — goods
  11. scale — in music
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — shares
  16. hand — help
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. band — a music group
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fine — high quality
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. hand — part of the body

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