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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — a song
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. last — final
  9. rule — government
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. track — a path
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rule — a law
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. snap — to click

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