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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — thin
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — part of the head
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — to crush
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the sport
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rest — a break
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — to point toward
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mate — to breed
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rest — what's left

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