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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. drill — army training
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. rule — a law
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. shower — to wash
  7. last — to go on
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. lie — to recline
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. last — final
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. last — finally
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. chest — a box
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. shower — rain
  23. cue — for pool
  24. deal — to handle

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