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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. chest — of your body
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chest — of your body
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mark — a trace
  10. chest — a box
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. pop — soda
  14. object — to protest
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. drill — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. pop — to visit
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pop — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. rule — a law
  24. nail — on a finger

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