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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. capital — a city
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to confront
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. capital — money
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. prune — to trim
  18. capital — a big letter

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