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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — final
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bound — certain
  10. last — to go on
  11. pop — music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — finally
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bound — tied together
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pop — to visit
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. row — a line

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