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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rule — government
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. clip — a video
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — for paper
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. rule — a law
  16. rash — hasty
  17. present — the time now
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. present — there
  21. rash — a series
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bore — to drill

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