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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: firm · squash · cell · sharp · shower · roll · mate · face

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. face — part of the head
  3. shower — to wash
  4. firm — decided
  5. squash — the sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. firm — a company
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mate — a partner
  12. squash — to crush
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cell — a phone
  16. mate — to breed
  17. roll — a cake
  18. cell — in biology
  19. shower — rain
  20. face — to point toward
  21. roll — a list
  22. sharp — clever
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. firm — steady

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