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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bound — certain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. track — a song
  6. face — to confront
  7. track — a path
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. land — to come down
  11. track — to keep track
  12. face — part of the head
  13. shower — rain
  14. bore — to drill
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rest — a break
  19. land — a country
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — tied together
  22. land — ground
  23. face — to point toward
  24. leaves — of a tree

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