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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. face — to confront
  4. mate — a partner
  5. ball — a great time
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ground — the earth
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. club — a group
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. net — in sport
  18. ground — a position
  19. mate — a friend
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mate — to breed
  22. net — after costs
  23. bore — to drill
  24. net — for catching

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