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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cap — a lid
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — to come down
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — a country
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rule — government
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rule — a law
  20. rash — a series
  21. prune — to trim
  22. land — ground
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. cap — a hat

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