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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. band — a ring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. staff — employees
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. saw — the tool
  10. shower — rain
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. court — for sport
  14. staff — a stick
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. staff — employees
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rule — a law
  22. court — of law
  23. rule — government
  24. band — a music group

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