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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rule — a law
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. staff — employees
  10. kid — to tease
  11. staff — employees
  12. drill — a practice
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. field — a subject
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — child
  22. rule — government
  23. bulb — for light
  24. staff — a stick

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