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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. lean — thin
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bass — low music
  10. wind — moving air
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — music
  17. rule — a law
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. wind — moving air
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. lean — to bend

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