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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 116 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: degree · court · hide · rule · drill · pass · hand · stick

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. drill — a practice
  6. rule — government
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. drill — army training
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. degree — from a university
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. degree — temperature
  16. court — of a king
  17. pass — a permit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hand — help
  23. rule — a law
  24. degree — an amount

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