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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bore — to tire
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bore — to drill
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — of the year
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. hand — help
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. swing — music
  24. season — in sport

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