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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: face · roll · swing · content · field · pass · club · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. club — a group
  3. field — farmland
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. club — for dancing
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. content — the amount
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. field — for sport
  12. roll — a list
  13. face — part of the head
  14. swing — to play on
  15. club — for golf
  16. bore — to tire
  17. field — a subject
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — happy
  20. face — to confront
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. content — videos and posts

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