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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. bore — to drill
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. rule — a law
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to sink
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rest — a break
  24. rule — government

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