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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 124 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pop — soda
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. game — a match
  8. fall — the season
  9. pop — to visit
  10. stock — goods
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fall — to drop
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pop — music
  19. rule — government
  20. stock — shares
  21. fall — to drop
  22. game — wild animals
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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