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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wound — an injury
  3. face — to confront
  4. club — a group
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bore — to drill
  9. season — of the year
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. season — in sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fine — a penalty

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