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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to bend
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — a stone
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. club — for golf
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — a container
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bore — to drill

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