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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: rule · rest · bore · cold · ground · track · wake · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rest — a break
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — a law
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wake — a trail
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rule — government
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cold — not warm
  14. track — a song
  15. ground — the earth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — a path
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — what's left
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bore — to drill
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wake — before a funeral

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