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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.

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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. craft — a skill
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bear — the animal
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. craft — boats
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bear — the animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. key — the most important part
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. degree — from a university
  15. tube — the underground
  16. tube — a container
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. face — to confront
  21. kick — in football
  22. key — for a lock
  23. degree — an amount
  24. key — in music

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