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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bore — to drill
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ground — a position
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tube — a container
  10. ground — crushed
  11. staff — employees
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bore — to tire
  14. face — to confront
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. staff — employees
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cap — a hat
  19. ground — the earth
  20. staff — a stick
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — a friend
  24. face — part of the head

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