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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — farmland
  6. rule — government
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rule — a law
  9. field — a subject
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bore — to tire
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bore — to drill
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. drill — the tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — a match
  21. rock — music
  22. drill — a practice
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. lie — to recline

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