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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. club — a group
  6. net — after costs
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. club — for dancing
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. club — for golf
  15. wake — a trail
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. band — a ring
  18. land — ground
  19. net — in sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. drill — army training
  23. net — for catching
  24. band — a music group

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