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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: sharp · nail · bay · face · roll · pound · mate · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mate — a friend
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. roll — a list
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a cake
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. face — to point toward

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