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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. fine — all right
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rest — what's left
  5. staff — employees
  6. band — a music group
  7. rule — a law
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fine — high quality
  10. band — a ring
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. drill — army training
  14. bear — the animal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rest — a break
  18. staff — employees
  19. bear — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — child

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