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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. court — of a king
  5. spell — letters
  6. bore — to drill
  7. spell — magic
  8. court — of law
  9. face — to point toward
  10. court — for sport
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pit — in a race
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a hole
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. land — a country
  22. ground — crushed
  23. land — ground
  24. bore — to tire

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