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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · pitcher · drill · row · land · mate · lie · cap

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rule — government
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. row — a line
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. drill — the tool
  13. cap — a hat
  14. row — to paddle
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cap — of ice
  17. land — a country
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. land — ground
  23. mate — a friend
  24. drill — army training

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