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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. face — to confront
  3. lean — thin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. face — to point toward
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. bulb — for light
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. squash — to crush
  13. race — a contest
  14. mate — a partner
  15. face — part of the head
  16. snap — to click
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. hand — in cards
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lean — to bend
  23. hand — help
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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