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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. rash — hasty
  8. face — part of the head
  9. face — to confront
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rash — a series
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cold — not warm
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. mate — a friend

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