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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: roll · mate · kid · pit · sharp · face · wave · date

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mate — to breed
  3. date — the fruit
  4. roll — a cake
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mate — a friend
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pit — a hole
  13. kid — child
  14. mate — a partner
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. roll — a list
  20. pit — in a race
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. wave — with your hand

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