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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. face — to confront
  4. pit — a hole
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bore — to drill
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bore — to tire
  14. face — to point toward
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — part of the head
  17. swing — in golf
  18. net — in sport
  19. season — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. spring — of water
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spring — the season
  24. spring — a coil

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