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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rule — government
  4. march — music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. capital — a city
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. march — the month
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. file — a line of people
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. march — the month
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. file — a tool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. file — a document
  23. capital — money
  24. saw — the tool

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