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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rule — government
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bore — to tire
  9. face — to confront
  10. bore — to drill
  11. march — music
  12. row — a line
  13. land — to come down
  14. march — the month
  15. face — part of the head
  16. season — in sport
  17. rule — a law
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to point toward
  20. land — a country
  21. season — of the year
  22. land — ground
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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