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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cap — a hat
  6. season — of the year
  7. rock — music
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bore — to tire
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rock — a stone
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. season — in sport
  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