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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. band — a music group
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — in sport
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bat — the animal
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. swing — music
  11. fine — all right
  12. lie — to recline
  13. face — to point toward
  14. season — of the year
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — high quality
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. band — a ring
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — in golf
  21. face — part of the head
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. swing — to play on

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