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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wake — a trail
  4. dip — to sink
  5. row — a line
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. face — to confront
  8. pound — a weight
  9. face — to point toward
  10. squash — to crush
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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