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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. club — a group
  4. race — the arms race
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. race — a contest
  12. club — for dancing
  13. race — humankind
  14. club — for golf
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — the tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. row — a line
  23. rule — a law
  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