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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. file — a line of people
  5. scale — size or range
  6. face — to point toward
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — in music
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. sharp — clever
  15. branch — a division
  16. face — part of the head
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. safe — out of danger

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