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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — to confront
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — part of the head
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. file — a document
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wound — an injury
  22. file — a tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. saw — the tool

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