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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. snap — to click
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rule — government
  7. last — to go on
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rule — a law
  11. last — finally
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. last — final
  14. drill — a practice
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. drill — army training
  17. tube — the underground
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. drill — the tool
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. tube — a container
  24. lie — an untruth

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