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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mate — a friend
  3. current — of water
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rock — music
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. lie — to recline
  18. current — happening now
  19. prune — to trim
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. face — to point toward
  23. current — electric
  24. rock — a stone

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