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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. squash — the sport
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. board — to get on
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hand — help
  13. mate — a friend
  14. squash — to crush
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mate — a partner
  17. date — the fruit
  18. hand — in cards
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  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