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

Word bank: bore · band · race · deal · rule · cap

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rule — a law
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. race — a contest
  13. band — a music group
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. band — a ring
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. race — humankind

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