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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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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rule — government
  5. present — the time now
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bore — to drill
  9. spell — a short time
  10. race — a contest
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — there
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rule — a law
  17. race — humankind
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. spell — magic
  21. bound — tied together
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. present — a gift
  24. spell — letters

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