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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. face — part of the head
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. mine — for digging
  5. face — to confront
  6. pop — to visit
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pit — a hole
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. perch — the fish
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pop — music
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pit — in a race
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pop — soda

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