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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rest — a break
  3. land — a country
  4. track — a song
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mine — for digging
  7. rest — what's left
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. drill — army training
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rule — government
  13. cue — a signal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rule — a law
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a path
  24. snap — to click

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