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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. last — finally
  3. bore — to drill
  4. land — a country
  5. rest — a break
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. game — a match
  9. land — to come down
  10. chip — to eat
  11. land — ground
  12. face — part of the head
  13. toast — bread
  14. last — final
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. face — to confront
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. last — to go on
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chip — for betting

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