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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 124 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. drill — a practice
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. rule — government
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rash — a series
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. date — the fruit
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. branch — a division

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