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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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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: drill · fall · temple · club · pitcher · rush · rule · ball

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. club — for golf
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. club — for dancing
  8. drill — the tool
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. ball — a dance
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — army training
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. fall — the season
  24. club — a group

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