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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · mate · game · season · saw · sharp · mine · lie

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. game — wild animals
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — clever
  10. mate — to breed
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. face — part of the head
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mate — a friend
  18. face — to confront
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. face — to point toward
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — a match

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