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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. last — final
  4. last — finally
  5. court — for sport
  6. face — to confront
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. court — of a king
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rule — government
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rock — music
  13. ground — the earth
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. ground — a position
  18. court — of law
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rule — a law
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. last — to go on

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