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

Word bank: race · bay · pound · capital · face · date · wake · mate

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — to point toward
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. race — humankind
  8. date — the fruit
  9. capital — money
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. face — to confront
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. race — a contest
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mate — a partner
  18. wake — a trail
  19. face — part of the head
  20. capital — a city
  21. race — the arms race
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. mate — a friend

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