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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. plane — a tool
  3. charge — a price
  4. rash — hasty
  5. last — finally
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mate — to breed
  8. charge — in control
  9. drill — the tool
  10. file — a tool
  11. mate — a partner
  12. file — a line of people
  13. drill — a practice
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. face — to confront
  18. last — to go on
  19. file — a document
  20. rash — a series
  21. drill — army training
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rash — on the skin

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