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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. face — to confront
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — part of the head
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bore — to drill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. bore — to tire
  19. drill — a practice
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. face — to point toward
  24. drill — the tool

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