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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a document
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. file — a tool
  19. bore — to drill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wake — a trail
  24. 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