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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bore — to drill
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. deal — to handle
  7. clip — a video
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — for paper
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. drill — the tool
  13. perch — the fish
  14. drill — army training
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. rule — a law
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bore — gave birth

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