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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 124 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 had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bore — to drill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bore — to tire
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — size or range
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. face — to confront
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rash — a series
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to point toward
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. rash — hasty

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