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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cue — a signal
  4. sharp — clever
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. face — to confront
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. field — a subject
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. key — for a lock
  18. mate — a friend
  19. dip — to sink
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. field — for sport
  22. face — to point toward
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — a sauce

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