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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  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 partner
  2. face — to confront
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. wax — to grow
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. face — to point toward
  9. mate — a friend
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitch — completely
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hand — help
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  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