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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. row — a line
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. saw — the tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fine — all right
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rest — what's left
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spring — the season
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. spring — of water
  17. drill — army training
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. spring — a coil
  20. rest — a break
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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