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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. rule — a law
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. drill — army training
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. file — a document
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. game — wild animals
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rule — government
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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