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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — to point toward
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pass — a permit
  10. face — to confront
  11. stem — to come from
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bore — to drill
  14. drill — army training
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. rest — a break
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bore — to tire
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ball — a dance
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pass — to spend time

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