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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. current — of water
  3. rest — what's left
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — to point toward
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — to be able to
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a path
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mark — a grade
  16. rest — what's left
  17. last — finally
  18. mark — a trace
  19. last — final
  20. track — a song
  21. prune — to trim
  22. can — a tin
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rest — a break

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