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

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. rock — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. face — to confront
  13. bore — to drill
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. net — in sport
  17. rock — a stone
  18. face — to point toward

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