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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 · bore · cell · sharp · ground · straw · present · date

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. cell — in biology
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. sharp — clever
  6. bore — to tire
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. face — to confront
  9. cell — a phone
  10. present — the time now
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ground — crushed
  15. face — to point toward
  16. date — the fruit
  17. ground — a position
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. present — there
  20. bore — to drill
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. present — a gift

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