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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. game — a match
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. rock — music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. last — to go on
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. face — to confront
  10. last — finally
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rest — a break
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. last — final
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rock — a stone
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rest — what's left
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a trace
  24. trunk — of a tree

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