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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. lean — thin
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — final
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. mate — a partner
  9. scale — size or range
  10. deal — to handle
  11. shower — rain
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. scale — in music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — to breed
  18. lean — to bend
  19. last — finally
  20. mate — a friend
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — to confront
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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