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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pit — in a race
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. face — to confront
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. squash — the sport
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. game — a kind of play

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