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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: bay · last · fine · fork · face · hide · mate · mine

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. last — finally
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fine — all right
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. last — final
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fork — in a road
  14. last — to go on
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. fine — high quality
  23. face — to confront
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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