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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 · present · bat · rock · capital · rule · plane · face

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. bore — to drill
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. present — there
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. capital — money
  8. rule — a law
  9. face — to confront
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — government
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bat — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. present — the time now
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. present — a gift
  24. capital — a city

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