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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rash — a series
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bore — to tire
  11. court — of law
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cue — a hint
  20. court — of a king
  21. cue — for pool
  22. court — for sport
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. cue — a signal

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