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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. court — for sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. face — to confront
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. firm — decided
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. clip — a video
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. date — the fruit
  13. clip — for paper
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. firm — a company
  16. face — part of the head
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. court — of law
  19. firm — steady
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. clip — to cut
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. court — of a king
  24. face — to point toward

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