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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. present — the time now
  3. face — to point toward
  4. present — there
  5. rock — music
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — to confront
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bound — certain
  18. mate — a partner
  19. present — a gift
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bat — in an idiom

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