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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 116 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. face — to confront
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — in sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. mate — a friend
  14. spring — a coil
  15. net — for catching
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. spring — the season
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mate — a partner
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. face — part of the head

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