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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: bore · kid · perch · court · cue · face · rule · patient

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. kid — to tease
  3. court — of law
  4. face — to confront
  5. court — for sport
  6. rule — a law
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. court — of a king
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rule — government
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bore — to tire
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — for pool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — child

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