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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — of the year
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — to confront
  7. mug — to rob
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. mug — a face
  14. file — a tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. saw — the tool
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bore — to drill
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pound — a weight
  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