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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. game — wild animals
  3. face — to confront
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. key — the most important part
  6. last — final
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. key — in music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. game — a match
  14. dip — to sink
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wound — an injury
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. wound — an injury
  23. key — for a lock
  24. last — to go on

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