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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. charge — a price
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rock — music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. net — in sport
  15. charge — in control
  16. net — after costs
  17. face — to confront
  18. charge — electricity
  19. rock — a stone
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. net — for catching
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rock — to move gently

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