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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rule — government
  3. face — part of the head
  4. firm — decided
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rule — a law
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. face — to point toward
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. firm — a company
  13. cold — not warm
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. firm — steady
  17. last — finally
  18. face — to confront
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. last — final
  23. last — to go on
  24. cap — a lid

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