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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: face · stand · chest · date · mark · ball · sharp · mate

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mate — a friend
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mark — a grade
  5. face — part of the head
  6. chest — a box
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. ball — a great time
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mark — a trace
  15. stand — to bear
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mate — to breed
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — to point toward
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. chest — of your body

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