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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rule — a law
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. drill — army training
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. key — for a lock
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. drill — a practice
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bat — the animal

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