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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. current — happening now
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wind — moving air
  12. tube — the underground
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tube — a container
  16. face — part of the head
  17. current — electric
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. current — of water
  20. bass — low music
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitch — completely

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