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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 garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. file — a tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. rest — what's left
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. face — to point toward
  8. season — of the year
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rock — music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. face — part of the head
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fork — in a road
  16. season — in sport
  17. file — a document
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rock — a stone
  20. file — a line of people
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rest — a break

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