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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. face — to confront
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cap — a lid
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bore — to tire
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. kick — in football
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wake — a trail
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cap — a hat
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. wake — before a funeral

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