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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spell — magic
  3. drill — army training
  4. rash — a series
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lie — to recline
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — to confront
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. drill — a practice
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — hasty
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — to breed
  24. spell — a short time

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