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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — a song
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mate — to breed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mate — a friend
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. band — a music group
  22. band — a ring
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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