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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pop — music
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bore — to drill
  5. kid — child
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bass — low music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — soda
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bore — to tire
  18. face — to confront
  19. kid — to tease
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mate — to breed
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. face — to point toward
  24. track — a song

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