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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bound — certain
  3. race — a contest
  4. land — ground
  5. drill — a practice
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. drill — the tool
  12. prune — to trim
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rule — a law
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cue — a signal
  19. swing — music
  20. rule — government
  21. race — humankind
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bound — tied together
  24. swing — to play on

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