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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. face — to point toward
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. hand — in cards
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. face — to confront
  8. craft — a skill
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — in a race
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. craft — boats
  18. face — part of the head
  19. snap — to click
  20. hand — help
  21. pit — a hole
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mate — to breed

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