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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · rash · track · rule · mine · last · bay · drill

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rule — a law
  4. last — final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mate — a partner
  7. rash — a series
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rule — government
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. last — finally
  17. track — a song
  18. mine — for digging
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. drill — army training
  23. track — to keep track
  24. last — to go on

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