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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. drill — the tool
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. net — in sport
  9. charge — in control
  10. drill — army training
  11. march — music
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bank — for money
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. march — the month
  19. charge — a price
  20. bank — for money
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — for catching
  23. bank — of a river
  24. deal — an agreement

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