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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 120 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: straw · bore · march · rule · drill · cell · fan · lie

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. drill — army training
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bore — to drill
  12. march — the month
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rule — a law
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rule — government
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. march — music
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. march — the month
  22. drill — the tool
  23. cell — a phone
  24. lie — to recline

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