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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — high quality
  3. drill — army training
  4. rash — a series
  5. present — there
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — all right
  8. drill — a practice
  9. firm — steady
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. drill — the tool
  15. firm — a company
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. present — the time now
  19. firm — decided
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. present — a gift
  22. rule — a law
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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