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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. root — the cause
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. last — final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. root — of a word
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. last — to go on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. rule — a law
  16. ground — crushed
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rash — a series
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cap — of ice
  21. rule — government
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cap — a hat
  24. last — finally

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