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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rule — government
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rule — a law
  7. file — a line of people
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. craft — boats
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bore — to tire
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bore — to drill
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. file — a tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. club — a group
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — for golf
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. craft — a skill

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