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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mate — a friend
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cell — in biology
  8. game — wild animals
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. lie — to recline
  11. mate — to breed
  12. suit — clothes
  13. game — a match
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bulb — for light
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — moving air
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. cell — a phone
  24. plane — a tool

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