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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rule — government
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — help
  8. bound — certain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. game — a match
  19. bound — tied together
  20. drill — army training
  21. hand — in cards
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rule — a law
  24. bound — obliged

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