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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bank — for money
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pop — soda
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cue — a hint
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rule — a law
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. rule — government
  21. cue — for pool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pop — music
  24. ball — a round shape

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