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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. face — to point toward
  4. firm — steady
  5. bass — the fish
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to confront
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bat — the animal
  10. tube — a container
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — the underground
  13. track — to keep track
  14. firm — a company
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bore — to tire
  17. firm — decided
  18. face — part of the head
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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