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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · shower · bowl · stand · rule · spell · mine · cue

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spell — letters
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. shower — rain
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. cue — for pool
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. spell — magic
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. cue — a signal
  18. mine — for digging
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. rule — a law
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rule — government

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