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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  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. hand — help
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rock — a stone
  5. march — the month
  6. root — the cause
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to point toward
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. bore — to tire
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rock — music
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — music
  18. content — happy
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. hand — part of the body
  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