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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. last — final
  3. capital — a city
  4. rule — a law
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. net — for catching
  11. capital — money
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bear — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. rule — government
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. net — after costs
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a ring
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. net — in sport
  23. band — a music group
  24. row — a line

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