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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. face — to confront
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. mate — a partner
  17. face — part of the head
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — to play on
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mate — to breed

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