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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. scale — in music
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — in football
  7. face — to confront
  8. net — in sport
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — to paddle
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. row — a line
  14. bore — to drill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. face — part of the head
  23. scale — size or range
  24. row — a quarrel

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