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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bore — to drill
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. court — of law
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. drill — a practice
  8. stand — to bear
  9. court — for sport
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rule — government
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. snap — to click
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — a law
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pit — a hole

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