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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: pit · suit · wind · face · mate · rest · mine · leaves

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pit — in a race
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rest — what's left
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mate — to breed
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. wind — moving air
  16. suit — to fit
  17. rest — a break
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pit — a hole
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mate — a friend

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