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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — a partner
  4. current — electric
  5. face — to confront
  6. current — of water
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. mate — to breed
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. roll — a cake
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. roll — a list
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. current — happening now
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. hand — part of the body

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