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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — a series
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pop — to visit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pitch — completely
  8. face — to confront
  9. pop — soda
  10. cold — not warm
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. season — of the year
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. rash — hasty
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. snap — to click
  24. cold — an illness

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