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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: rest · rule · fan · lie · spell · bore · court · race

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — government
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. rule — a law
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — for sport
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bore — to drill
  12. race — a contest
  13. rest — a break
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rest — what's left
  16. race — the arms race
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of law
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — a short time
  22. race — humankind
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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