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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bank — of a river
  3. face — part of the head
  4. shower — rain
  5. bore — to drill
  6. face — to confront
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mug — a face
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bank — for money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bank — for money
  19. mug — a cup
  20. cap — a lid
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. face — to point toward

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