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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. face — to confront
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — part of the head
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. can — a tin
  16. last — finally
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — final
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bore — to drill
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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