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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · bat · capital · perch · fine · mine · jam · face

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. capital — money
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fine — all right
  8. mine — for digging
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. capital — a city
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fine — high quality
  17. face — part of the head
  18. bore — to drill
  19. perch — the fish
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. perch — for a bird
  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