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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. clip — for paper
  3. court — of law
  4. rule — a law
  5. bore — to drill
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. court — for sport
  11. rule — government
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. drill — army training
  14. clip — to cut
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. clip — a video
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bore — to tire
  22. court — of a king
  23. lean — thin
  24. ruler — for measuring

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