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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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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: bore · rule · wake · scale · safe · ball · staff · saw

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. staff — employees
  4. rule — a law
  5. bore — to tire
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. ball — a dance
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a great time
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. wake — a trail
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. staff — employees
  20. staff — a stick
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bore — to drill

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