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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bore — to tire
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tear — from crying
  8. face — part of the head
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. hand — in cards
  12. face — to confront
  13. season — of the year
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. hand — help
  21. season — in sport
  22. tear — to rip
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rash — a series

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