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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. snap — to click
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — to confront
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pass — a permit
  23. plane — a tool
  24. chest — a box

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