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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. date — the fruit
  7. face — to confront
  8. court — of law
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — for money
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — part of the head
  17. bank — of a river
  18. court — for sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. saw — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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