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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. drill — a practice
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — ground
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. content — the amount
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a hole
  15. land — a country
  16. kid — child
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. kid — to tease
  19. content — happy
  20. rule — a law
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. drill — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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