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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. shower — to wash
  8. swing — music
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — in golf
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. face — part of the head
  14. row — to paddle
  15. track — a song
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. track — a path
  18. row — a line
  19. swing — to play on
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. bore — to drill
  23. track — to keep track
  24. ball — a round shape

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