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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bore — to tire
  6. staff — a stick
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. face — part of the head
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. face — to confront
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. staff — employees

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