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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. last — finally
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. rash — a series
  5. drill — the tool
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. face — part of the head
  9. rash — hasty
  10. staff — employees
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. season — of the year
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. drill — army training
  18. face — to confront
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — a trail
  22. staff — a stick
  23. face — to point toward
  24. staff — employees

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