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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. last — final
  4. field — farmland
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. face — to confront
  10. mark — a trace
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. field — a subject
  18. last — to go on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. mark — a grade
  21. last — finally
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — for a computer

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