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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mate — to breed
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lie — to recline
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — to shout
  13. mate — a friend
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. plane — a tool
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. wake — a trail
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fan — to cool the air

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