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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. row — to paddle
  3. spring — a coil
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. hand — help
  6. spring — the season
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bore — to drill
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — of water
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. key — in music
  15. lie — to recline
  16. fork — in a road
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — to confront
  22. key — the most important part
  23. row — a line
  24. hand — in cards

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