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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. deal — to handle
  3. face — part of the head
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. face — to confront
  6. bass — low music
  7. sharp — clever
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. game — a match
  12. pit — in a race
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. face — to point toward
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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