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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cap — a hat
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — government
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. last — finally
  11. bank — of a river
  12. sharp — clever
  13. last — final
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. ground — a position
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bank — for money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. cap — a lid
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a ring
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bank — for money

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