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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. spring — a coil
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — the season
  10. land — to come down
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spring — of water
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. rest — a break
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — ground
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — an injury
  24. land — a country

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