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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pound — a weight
  5. scale — size or range
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. capital — money
  8. bore — to tire
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. drill — a practice
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rule — government
  17. drill — the tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. scale — in music
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bore — to drill
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. rule — a law
  24. drill — army training

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