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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 116 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. face — part of the head
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hand — help
  12. face — to confront
  13. saw — the tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. current — happening now
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bore — to drill
  19. season — of the year
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. nail — for a hammer

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