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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. last — to go on
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — to confront
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. degree — an amount
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. last — final
  14. degree — from a university
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. degree — temperature
  17. season — in sport
  18. last — finally
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. season — of the year
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. season — to add flavour

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