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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — a position
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. court — of a king
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rock — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rock — a stone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bore — to tire
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ground — the earth
  21. face — to confront
  22. bore — to drill
  23. drill — army training
  24. branch — a division

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