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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bore — to tire
  6. toast — bread
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chip — to eat
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. tear — from crying
  16. chip — for betting
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wake — a trail
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. face — to confront
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. chip — in a computer

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