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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mark — a grade
  6. last — finally
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cap — a hat
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. mark — a trace
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. face — to confront
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — of water
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fine — all right
  22. spring — the season
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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