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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. band — a music group
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mate — a partner
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. band — a ring
  9. ball — a great time
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lean — thin
  16. degree — temperature
  17. bulb — for light
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hand — help
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bulb — for light

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