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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. bass — low music
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. craft — a skill
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. face — to confront
  20. craft — boats
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. face — part of the head
  24. craft — a handicraft

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