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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rule — a law
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. land — a country
  5. clip — for paper
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. mark — a trace
  8. clip — to cut
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rule — government
  11. capital — money
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. bore — to tire
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. clip — a video
  18. capital — a city
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to drill
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. mark — a grade
  24. land — to come down

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