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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bore — to tire
  3. root — the cause
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spell — a short time
  6. present — the time now
  7. present — there
  8. degree — from a university
  9. pop — music
  10. present — a gift
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. root — of a word
  15. spell — letters
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — magic
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pop — soda
  24. degree — an amount

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