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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rule — government
  3. mug — a face
  4. fine — all right
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mug — a cup
  8. charge — electricity
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mug — to rob
  12. charge — a price
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. saw — the tool
  15. tear — from crying
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rule — a law
  18. drill — army training
  19. charge — in control
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rash — a series

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