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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bore — to drill
  6. kick — in football
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. clip — a video
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fine — all right
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — a leader
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. bore — to tire
  24. safe — out of danger

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