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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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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: staff · face · spell · bore · pit · rule · mine · wind

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pit — in a race
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bore — to tire
  10. wind — moving air
  11. face — part of the head
  12. spell — letters
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — a law
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bore — to drill
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spell — magic
  24. face — to confront

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