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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. file — a document
  4. fall — to drop
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. face — to confront
  7. last — to go on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bark — to shout
  12. file — a tool
  13. key — for a lock
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fall — the season
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. key — in music
  23. last — final
  24. last — finally

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