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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 120 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. club — for dancing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. pop — music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bore — to tire
  16. club — for golf
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to confront
  20. pop — soda
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. club — a group
  24. leaves — of a tree

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