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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: spell · band · present · last · dip · rule · club · bore

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — finally
  3. present — the time now
  4. rule — a law
  5. club — for golf
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. band — a music group
  8. dip — to sink
  9. last — final
  10. club — for dancing
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rule — government
  13. present — there
  14. last — to go on
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — a gift
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bore — to drill
  24. club — a group

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