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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. bound — tied together
  5. staff — a stick
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. toast — bread
  8. bound — obliged
  9. face — part of the head
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bound — certain
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bore — to drill
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. date — the fruit
  18. face — to point toward
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — to confront
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. lean — thin

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