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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 120 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. last — to go on
  3. rule — government
  4. spring — of water
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. rule — a law
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. last — finally
  12. band — a ring
  13. bore — to drill
  14. suit — to fit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. suit — in cards
  24. last — final

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