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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bore — to drill
  6. court — of law
  7. spell — a short time
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spell — letters
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bore — to tire
  16. spell — magic
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tear — to rip
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — a line

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