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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. shower — rain
  3. spring — a coil
  4. face — to point toward
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — in sport
  9. face — part of the head
  10. spring — the season
  11. face — to confront
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. season — of the year
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rush — hurry
  18. chest — of your body
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. spring — of water

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