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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 124 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. bound — tied together
  3. squash — the sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bound — certain
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mate — to breed
  9. face — to confront
  10. degree — an amount
  11. wax — to grow
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. degree — temperature
  19. mate — a friend
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mug — a face
  22. squash — to crush
  23. mug — a cup
  24. wax — for sculpting

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