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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. mate — to breed
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. drill — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. drill — army training
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — a practice
  11. rule — government
  12. mate — a partner
  13. band — a music group
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. chair — a leader
  16. band — a ring
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mate — a friend
  20. rule — a law
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. chest — a box

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