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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. sharp — clever
  3. firm — steady
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — to drill
  9. field — a subject
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. can — a tin
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — farmland
  15. firm — decided
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. firm — a company
  22. field — for sport
  23. can — a tin
  24. face — to point toward

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