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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. rule — government
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. clip — for paper
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. band — a ring
  8. court — of a king
  9. drill — army training
  10. clip — to cut
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. clip — a video
  15. ground — a position
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ground — the earth
  19. court — for sport
  20. ground — crushed
  21. court — of law
  22. band — a music group
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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