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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wax — to grow
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. degree — an amount
  9. mate — a friend
  10. face — to confront
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — to breed
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pound — a weight
  17. suit — to fit
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. degree — from a university
  20. suit — clothes
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. degree — temperature
  23. lie — to recline
  24. snap — to click

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