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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 120 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cap — a lid
  3. face — to confront
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. face — to point toward
  7. cap — a hat
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — to tire
  10. face — part of the head
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bore — to drill
  19. march — the month
  20. club — a group
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bulb — for light

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