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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a tool
  4. face — to confront
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. file — a document
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cap — of ice
  14. wind — moving air
  15. cap — a lid
  16. file — a line of people
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. last — final
  20. cap — a hat
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rock — music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wind — to turn a key

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