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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bore — to tire
  7. key — in music
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wax — to grow
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — army training
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rule — a law
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bore — to drill
  22. key — the most important part
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wax — for sculpting

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