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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. mate — a partner
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. face — to confront
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. face — part of the head
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. face — to point toward
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bowl — to roll

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