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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. face — to point toward
  6. saw — the tool
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — to go on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spell — magic
  12. content — happy
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. spell — a short time
  21. content — the amount
  22. can — a tin
  23. spell — letters
  24. content — videos and posts

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