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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. scale — in music
  3. ground — the earth
  4. track — a song
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — child
  7. face — to confront
  8. kid — to tease
  9. ground — crushed
  10. track — a path
  11. mate — a friend
  12. scale — size or range
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ground — a position
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mate — to breed
  18. track — to keep track

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