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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. face — to confront
  11. pit — a hole
  12. file — a document
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. file — a tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. mate — to breed
  17. bore — to tire
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mate — a friend
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pit — in a race
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. last — final

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