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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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. mine — for digging
  3. board — a committee
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — to drill
  9. fall — to drop
  10. race — the arms race
  11. board — to get on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — a law
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fall — the season
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. fall — to drop
  20. perch — the fish
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. race — humankind
  23. race — a contest
  24. perch — for a bird

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