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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. pitch — completely
  6. bore — to tire
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. land — a country
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. land — to come down
  22. key — in music
  23. land — ground
  24. bowl — a football final

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