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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 116 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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. season — of the year
  3. spring — of water
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. bore — to drill
  7. spring — the season
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. rule — government
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. row — to paddle
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bore — to tire
  18. stand — to bear
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. season — in sport
  24. bore — gave birth

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