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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. last — final
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bore — to tire
  13. face — to confront
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — clever
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cold — not warm
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ground — crushed
  20. last — finally
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ground — a position
  24. sharp — exactly

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