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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 124 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wound — an injury
  5. field — for sport
  6. swing — to play on
  7. field — farmland
  8. face — to confront
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. mate — to breed
  11. present — there
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. face — part of the head
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. field — a subject
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. present — the time now
  24. face — to point toward

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