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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mate — to breed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. board — a committee
  10. scale — size or range
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pass — a permit
  15. scale — in music
  16. wind — moving air
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. board — to get on
  20. face — to confront
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — the season
  24. wind — moving air

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