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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bore — to tire
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — in biology
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rule — a law
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to drill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. date — the fruit
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rule — government

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