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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. rule — government
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. net — in sport
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. current — happening now
  8. net — after costs
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. track — to keep track
  11. object — an aim
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. current — electric
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. current — of water
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rule — a law
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. object — to protest
  22. net — for catching
  23. object — a thing
  24. sharp — with an edge

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