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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. face — to confront
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rule — government
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. capital — a city
  8. lean — thin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. capital — money
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mine — for digging
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bore — to drill
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rule — a law

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