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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. rash — hasty
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. rash — a series
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. spring — the season
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — happening now
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. mug — a face
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — a cup
  14. current — electric
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rule — a law
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rule — government
  21. current — of water
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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