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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: wake · bound · face · pitch · cell · mate · snap · foot

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. mate — to breed
  3. pitch — completely
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bound — tied together
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cell — a phone
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. snap — to click
  18. wake — a trail
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mate — a partner
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mate — a friend
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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