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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: roll · bat · bound · club · mark · bore · straw · rule

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. club — for golf
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bound — tied together
  6. roll — a list
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bore — to tire
  12. club — a group
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bound — certain
  15. rule — government
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bound — obliged
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bat — the animal
  24. roll — on a roll

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