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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. tube — a container
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. spell — letters
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. face — part of the head
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. can — to be able to
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. key — the most important part
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — not warm
  22. tube — the underground
  23. can — a tin
  24. cold — an illness

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