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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 124 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — a law
  3. rock — a stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. spring — of water
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — the season
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. rock — music
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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