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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 · key · toast · content · leaves · face · ball · wind

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. toast — bread
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. ball — a great time
  9. content — happy
  10. face — to confront
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. face — to point toward
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. key — for a lock
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — in music
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. key — the most important part
  24. face — part of the head

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