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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. ball — a great time
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lean — to bend
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bore — to tire
  21. face — part of the head
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bore — to drill

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