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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. capital — money
  5. object — to protest
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rule — government
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. saw — the tool
  13. rule — a law
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mate — a friend
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. track — to keep track
  18. object — a thing
  19. capital — a city
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. object — an aim
  22. track — a path
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a partner

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