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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — music
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. shower — rain
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pop — to visit
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bore — to drill
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pop — music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pop — soda
  18. face — to confront
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. row — a quarrel

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