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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. face — to confront
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. cap — a hat
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pass — a permit
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. bat — the animal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. last — final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. deal — an agreement

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