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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. face — to point toward
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. craft — boats
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. craft — a skill
  16. face — to confront
  17. game — wild animals
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. cell — a phone
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — in biology
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wake — a trail

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