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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. face — to confront
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bass — low music
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. clip — to cut
  14. face — to point toward
  15. clip — a video
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bore — to tire
  21. clip — for paper
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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