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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. drill — army training
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. clip — a video
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. kid — to tease
  10. drill — the tool
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mark — a grade
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. drill — a practice
  18. kid — child
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pound — a weight

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