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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cap — a lid
  3. march — music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ground — crushed
  7. march — the month
  8. ground — the earth
  9. cap — of ice
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — goods
  13. last — to go on
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mug — a face
  16. face — to confront
  17. mug — to rob
  18. last — final
  19. bore — to drill
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — shares
  22. last — finally
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ground — a position

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