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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mug — a cup
  4. date — the fruit
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. march — the month
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. face — to point toward
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. march — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mug — a face
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to drill
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mug — to rob

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