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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bore — to drill
  5. mate — a friend
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — a short time
  11. track — a song
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spell — letters
  14. rule — government
  15. track — a path
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. board — a committee
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bore — to tire
  22. rule — a law
  23. spell — magic
  24. staff — employees

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