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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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. last — to go on
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. field — a subject
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mate — to breed
  6. firm — decided
  7. field — for sport
  8. face — part of the head
  9. firm — steady
  10. mate — a partner
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mate — a friend
  14. cue — a signal
  15. field — farmland
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. cue — a hint
  21. fall — the season
  22. last — final
  23. firm — a company
  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