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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. face — to confront
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chest — a box
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chest — of your body
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. deal — to handle
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hand — help
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bore — gave birth

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