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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. wound — an injury
  4. last — to go on
  5. present — there
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. face — part of the head
  9. present — the time now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. wind — moving air
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wind — moving air
  17. mark — a grade
  18. face — to confront
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. face — to point toward
  23. present — a gift
  24. mark — to pay attention

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