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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.

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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: perch · pop · rule · lash · ground · game · drill · band

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pop — music
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a music group
  7. ground — a position
  8. rule — a law
  9. drill — a practice
  10. band — a ring
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rule — government
  14. drill — the tool
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. drill — army training
  19. pop — soda
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. game — a match
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. pop — to visit

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