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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rule — government
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. club — for golf
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — a group
  12. cue — a hint
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bore — to tire
  18. rule — a law
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bore — to drill
  21. date — the fruit
  22. club — for dancing
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. cue — for pool

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