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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ground — the earth
  3. mate — a partner
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. ground — a position
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. ground — crushed
  8. track — to keep track
  9. face — to confront
  10. track — a song
  11. mate — to breed
  12. kid — child
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. roll — a list
  17. face — part of the head
  18. kid — to tease
  19. rest — what's left
  20. roll — a cake
  21. track — a path
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rest — a break
  24. wax — to grow

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