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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ground — a position
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rash — a series
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. pitch — completely

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