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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: rule · date · bore · temple · snap · craft · row · mate

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. mate — to breed
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — government
  5. mate — a friend
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — a line
  8. snap — to click
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. date — the fruit
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. craft — boats
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bore — to drill
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. rule — a law
  21. row — to paddle
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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