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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 116 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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. face — to point toward
  5. last — finally
  6. drill — army training
  7. mate — to breed
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mate — a friend
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. face — to confront
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mate — a partner
  16. can — a tin
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — final
  20. band — a ring
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. face — part of the head
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fork — in a road

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