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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. key — for a lock
  3. wind — moving air
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bore — to drill
  9. scale — in music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rush — hurry
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. face — part of the head
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. key — in music
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. face — to confront
  21. tear — to rip
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to tire

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