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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. can — a tin
  3. drill — army training
  4. object — a thing
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — a practice
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bound — certain
  13. hand — help
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. ground — a position
  17. object — an aim
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rule — a law
  20. bound — obliged
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bound — tied together
  24. can — to be able to

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