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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. face — to point toward
  7. toast — bread
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. tube — a container
  13. face — to confront
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. tube — the underground
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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