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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rule — a law
  3. present — a gift
  4. rule — government
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fine — high quality
  9. rock — a stone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. present — there
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. pass — a permit
  18. spring — of water
  19. bore — to tire
  20. spring — the season
  21. present — the time now
  22. fine — all right
  23. file — a tool
  24. rule — to rule out

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