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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bore — to tire
  4. file — a line of people
  5. face — to confront
  6. cap — a hat
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cap — of ice
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bore — to drill
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. file — a document
  14. cap — a lid
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — a measure
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ball — a great time
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bore — gave birth

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