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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rule — government
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — to breed
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lie — to recline
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cap — a hat
  14. kid — child
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cap — a lid
  18. rule — a law
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chair — a leader

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