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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. court — of law
  3. rule — government
  4. drill — army training
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. band — a music group
  9. snap — to click
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — a practice
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. dip — to sink
  20. court — for sport
  21. rule — a law
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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