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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. hand — help
  3. cue — a hint
  4. face — to confront
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. mate — to breed
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. face — part of the head
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. hand — in cards
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. branch — a division
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — on a finger

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