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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mug — a face
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. shower — to wash
  7. staff — a stick
  8. band — a ring
  9. squash — to crush
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. mug — to rob
  12. staff — employees
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rule — government
  15. staff — employees
  16. shower — rain
  17. band — a music group
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rule — a law
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fork — a garden tool

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