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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bound — obliged
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. face — to confront
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. kid — child
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. lean — to bend
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. season — of the year
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bore — to drill
  17. lean — thin
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — certain
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. season — in sport
  23. pit — a hole
  24. season — to add flavour

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