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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bound — obliged
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. face — to confront
  8. game — a match
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. bound — tied together
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ground — crushed
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bound — certain
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. date — the fruit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — a trail
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. face — part of the head
  24. ground — a position

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