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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 120 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 was locked up in a ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. swing — music
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bore — to drill
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. face — to confront
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a tool
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. season — in sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cell — in biology
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bore — to tire
  18. swing — in golf
  19. prune — to trim
  20. cell — a phone
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — to sink
  23. swing — to play on
  24. dip — to dunk

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