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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. rule — a law
  4. land — to come down
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. drill — army training
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rule — government
  10. land — a country
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bear — the animal
  15. drill — a practice
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mate — a friend
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. land — ground
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mate — a partner
  24. drill — the tool

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