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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: bay · mate · season · pit · hand · face · cap · rash

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — help
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mate — to breed
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cap — a lid
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rash — a series
  20. mate — a partner
  21. season — of the year
  22. face — to point toward
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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