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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rock — music
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. court — for sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. cap — a hat
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rule — a law
  10. cap — a lid
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. court — of a king
  13. wound — an injury
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fine — all right
  17. rule — government
  18. rock — a stone
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — to wash
  21. drill — army training
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — of law
  24. rock — to move gently

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