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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. tear — from crying
  3. drill — army training
  4. track — a path
  5. last — final
  6. last — finally
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chip — to eat
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. face — to point toward
  12. drill — a practice
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. tear — to rip
  15. face — part of the head
  16. drill — the tool
  17. chip — for betting
  18. track — to keep track
  19. face — to confront
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. track — a song
  22. scale — in music
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. wave — with your hand

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