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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rule — government
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. last — to go on
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. content — happy
  11. last — finally
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. content — the amount
  16. drill — the tool
  17. row — a line
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — final
  21. bank — for money
  22. rule — a law
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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