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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. craft — a skill
  3. mate — a friend
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cue — for pool
  7. face — to confront
  8. cue — a signal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rash — a series
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rest — a break
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. mine — for digging
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. craft — boats

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