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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rule — government
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bore — to tire
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pitch — completely
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — to drill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. staff — employees
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rule — a law
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. nail — for a hammer

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