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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. season — of the year
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mate — a partner
  8. season — in sport
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. kid — child
  16. face — part of the head
  17. last — final
  18. last — finally
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. last — to go on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mate — a friend
  24. face — to confront

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