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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: deal · mate · march · racket · wind · face · toast · temple

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. toast — bread
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. face — to confront
  5. march — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to point toward
  12. march — the month
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a friend
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. face — part of the head
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. deal — to handle
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mate — a partner
  24. racket — a loud noise

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