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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bore — to tire
  4. face — to point toward
  5. suit — to fit
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. clip — to cut
  8. face — to confront
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. face — part of the head
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bore — to drill
  15. suit — clothes
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. clip — a video
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pit — in a race
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — to eat with

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