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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. last — to go on
  4. spring — the season
  5. chest — of your body
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. spring — of water
  10. face — part of the head
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — high quality
  13. scale — in music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to confront
  16. scale — size or range
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — a box
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — final
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. last — finally

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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