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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wake — a trail
  5. rule — a law
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. degree — from a university
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. snap — to click
  16. rest — a break
  17. face — to confront
  18. mark — a grade
  19. degree — temperature
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. face — part of the head
  22. degree — an amount
  23. rest — what's left
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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