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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: perch · rule · bore · kid · cold · charge

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cold — an illness
  6. charge — in control
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rule — a law
  12. kid — to tease
  13. charge — a price
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rule — government
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. charge — electricity

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