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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bore · chair · mouse · safe · game · face · toast · tear

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. toast — bread
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. bore — to drill
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. tear — from crying
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. game — wild animals
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. game — a match
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. tear — to rip

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