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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — a law
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. last — to go on
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. last — final
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rule — government
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. last — finally
  19. pop — soda
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — the season

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