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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. tube — the underground
  3. staff — employees
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. rush — hurry
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rule — a law
  8. bound — certain
  9. tube — a container
  10. rule — government
  11. bound — obliged
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — tied together
  17. staff — employees
  18. bore — to drill
  19. bear — the animal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rule — to rule out

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