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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rash — a series
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — a path
  8. current — electric
  9. face — to confront
  10. bore — to tire
  11. court — for sport
  12. game — a match
  13. track — a song
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — of law
  18. cap — a hat
  19. rash — hasty
  20. cap — a lid
  21. face — part of the head
  22. game — wild animals
  23. current — of water
  24. court — of a king

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