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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. face — to confront
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. saw — the tool
  9. date — the fruit
  10. face — part of the head
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — in cards
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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