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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. ground — a position
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mate — a partner
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. face — to point toward
  17. rock — music
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pound — a weight
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. face — to confront
  24. wake — a trail

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