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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bore — to tire
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. face — part of the head
  7. capital — money
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. face — to confront
  11. capital — a city
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. field — farmland
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. face — to point toward
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  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