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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  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 — gave birth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kid — to tease
  4. present — there
  5. present — the time now
  6. bore — to tire
  7. present — a gift
  8. kid — child
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. key — in music
  15. face — to confront
  16. scale — size or range
  17. sharp — clever
  18. key — for a lock
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bore — to drill
  22. key — the most important part
  23. scale — in music
  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