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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. face — to point toward
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mine — for digging
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. bass — the fish
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bass — low music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rush — hurry
  14. face — to confront
  15. game — a match
  16. mate — a partner
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. plane — a tool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. face — part of the head
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. mate — to breed

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