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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. rule — government
  3. drill — army training
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. bear — the animal
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. degree — an amount
  16. drill — the tool
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rule — a law
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — from a university

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