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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. chip — for betting
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rule — a law
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wax — to grow
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. hide — animal skin

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