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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rock — music
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — government
  6. game — a match
  7. drill — army training
  8. march — the month
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. rule — a law
  18. game — wild animals
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — music
  21. drill — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. bowl — a football final

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