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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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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. rule — government
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. craft — boats
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bore — to drill
  11. chip — for betting
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rule — a law
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. mine — for digging
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. staff — employees
  19. bore — to tire
  20. staff — employees
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. craft — a handicraft

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