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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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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: mine · roll · kid · face · season · pit · lean · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kid — child
  5. roll — a list
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mark — a trace
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. season — in sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. kid — to tease
  19. pit — a hole
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — of the year
  23. lean — thin
  24. face — to confront

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