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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. firm — a company
  4. last — final
  5. rush — hurry
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. firm — steady
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — to shout
  12. rule — government
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to point toward
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. scale — in music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. face — to confront
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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