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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bass — the fish
  7. root — of a word
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bear — the animal
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. race — a contest
  15. last — finally
  16. root — the cause
  17. bear — the animal
  18. root — of a plant
  19. toast — bread
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. race — humankind
  23. face — to confront
  24. deal — to handle

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