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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. file — a document
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a dance
  10. spring — a coil
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. spring — of water
  15. file — a tool
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. face — to point toward
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. spring — the season
  21. file — a line of people
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. face — part of the head

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