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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. staff — employees
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wake — a trail
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wound — an injury
  10. face — to confront
  11. root — of a word
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. staff — employees
  16. dip — to sink
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. root — of a plant
  19. root — the cause
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wound — an injury
  24. staff — a stick

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