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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 120 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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rule — government
  3. track — a path
  4. drill — army training
  5. kid — child
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. firm — a company
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. firm — decided
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rule — a law
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — not warm
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. firm — steady
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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