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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. pound — a weight
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — final
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. race — a contest
  12. last — to go on
  13. face — to point toward
  14. race — humankind
  15. mark — a trace
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. race — the arms race
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. stand — for spectators

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