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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. face — to confront
  4. can — a tin
  5. swing — music
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cold — not warm
  8. mate — a partner
  9. saw — the tool
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — part of the head
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cold — an illness
  18. swing — to play on
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. can — a tin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a friend
  24. face — to point toward

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