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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. present — there
  3. rule — government
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. cell — in biology
  6. present — a gift
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. race — the arms race
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bear — the animal
  14. present — the time now
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rule — a law
  18. race — a contest
  19. race — humankind
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — to put up with

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