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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 116 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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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: fine · shower · sharp · face · mate · wound · mark · spell

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mate — to breed
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. face — part of the head
  6. spell — magic
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. shower — rain
  15. fine — all right
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. spell — letters
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spell — a short time

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