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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. capital — money
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — government
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — to tire
  12. swing — music
  13. rash — hasty
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bore — to drill
  16. band — a ring
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. band — a music group
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rule — a law
  23. rash — a series
  24. sharp — clever

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