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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. hand — help
  3. face — part of the head
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bore — to drill
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. saw — the tool
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bore — to tire
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. hand — in cards
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. stem — to come from
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — gave birth

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