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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — to go on
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bank — for money
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — magic
  8. ground — a position
  9. spell — letters
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spell — a short time
  12. last — final
  13. fine — high quality
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — all right
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ground — the earth
  18. last — finally
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. face — to confront

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