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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. game — wild animals
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. snap — to click
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. foot — a measure
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to point toward
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — a match
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. face — to confront

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