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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. stand — to bear
  3. bore — to drill
  4. rule — government
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — a match
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rule — a law
  11. bear — the animal
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. game — wild animals
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. march — music
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. roll — a list
  24. pound — for dogs

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