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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — a series
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. face — to confront
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pitch — completely
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bore — to drill
  24. fork — in a road

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