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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — to go on
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. object — an aim
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rule — a law
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wake — a trail
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — a trace
  13. object — a thing
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a grade
  19. face — to confront
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — finally
  24. rule — government

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