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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. face — to confront
  3. file — a document
  4. mate — a friend
  5. cue — for pool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. mate — a partner
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. degree — from a university
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cue — a signal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cue — a hint
  15. pit — in a race
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — an amount
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. file — a tool
  22. mark — a grade
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. degree — temperature

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