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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rule — government
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mug — to rob
  5. board — a committee
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. mug — a cup
  10. object — to protest
  11. rule — a law
  12. bore — to tire
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. face — part of the head
  15. object — an aim
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. spring — the season
  18. board — to get on
  19. bore — to drill
  20. object — a thing
  21. spring — of water
  22. wake — a trail
  23. face — to confront
  24. spring — a coil

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