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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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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. 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. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mark — a trace
  8. face — to point toward
  9. track — a song
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. cell — a phone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. cell — in biology
  17. mark — a grade
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bark — to shout
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. face — to confront
  23. track — a path
  24. 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