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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. ground — a position
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cell — in biology
  9. lie — to recline
  10. ground — crushed
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — government
  16. race — humankind
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. craft — boats
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cell — in a prison

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