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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — to go on
  3. current — happening now
  4. bass — low music
  5. root — of a word
  6. current — electric
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ball — a great time
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. root — of a plant
  17. last — finally
  18. root — the cause
  19. current — of water
  20. ball — a dance
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. face — to confront
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitch — completely

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