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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cue — a hint
  8. face — to point toward
  9. plane — a tool
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cue — a signal
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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