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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. board — to get on
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rule — a law
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. drill — the tool
  7. board — a committee
  8. track — a path
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. drill — a practice
  12. race — the arms race
  13. track — a song
  14. race — humankind
  15. rush — hurry
  16. mine — for digging
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rule — government
  20. race — a contest
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. drill — army training

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