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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. staff — a stick
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. staff — employees
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. face — part of the head
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bore — to tire
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fine — all right

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