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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 120 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. craft — a skill
  5. drill — army training
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. bore — to drill
  8. drill — a practice
  9. craft — boats
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — a path
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mine — for digging
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. track — a song
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. drill — the tool
  22. bore — to tire
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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