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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rule — government
  4. file — a document
  5. present — a gift
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. bore — to tire
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. file — a line of people
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — a law
  15. march — music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rest — a break
  18. present — the time now
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. march — the month
  24. file — a tool

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