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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — to point toward
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. last — final
  6. face — to confront
  7. sharp — clever
  8. net — for catching
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bass — the fish
  11. face — part of the head
  12. last — to go on
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. band — a ring
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. last — finally
  20. bore — to drill
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a music group
  23. net — in sport
  24. bass — the instrument

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