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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rock — music
  5. rule — government
  6. bank — for money
  7. rule — a law
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — help
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. scale — in music
  13. bank — of a river
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rock — a stone
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. cell — a phone
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bank — for money
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. cell — in biology

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