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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 124 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rule — a law
  4. kid — child
  5. rule — government
  6. kid — to tease
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. bore — to tire

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