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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bore — to drill
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. land — a country
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rule — a law
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — a face
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. wake — a trail
  18. land — to come down
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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