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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rule — government
  3. season — of the year
  4. row — to paddle
  5. drill — army training
  6. ground — a position
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — a series
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. row — a line
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rule — a law
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. wake — a trail
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rule — to rule out

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