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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a lid
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rule — a law
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wake — a trail
  17. drill — army training
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cap — of ice
  23. drill — a practice
  24. cap — a hat

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