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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mug — a cup
  3. drill — the tool
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. season — of the year
  7. degree — an amount
  8. season — in sport
  9. degree — from a university
  10. lie — to recline
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. rule — a law
  14. march — the month
  15. mug — a face
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. mug — to rob
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. march — music
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lie — an untruth

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