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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. face — part of the head
  7. last — finally
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pit — a hole
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. saw — the tool
  15. last — final
  16. season — of the year
  17. pit — in a race
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to confront
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. dip — to dunk

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