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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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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 · club · bat · rule · fall · cabinet · content · land

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. land — a country
  3. fall — the season
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. land — ground
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. club — a group
  11. land — to come down
  12. fall — to drop
  13. content — happy
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. club — for golf
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bore — to tire
  21. rule — a law
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. content — the amount
  24. bat — the animal

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