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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bear — the animal
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bank — for money
  8. last — final
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bank — of a river
  12. face — to confront
  13. last — finally
  14. swing — in golf
  15. race — the arms race
  16. hand — help
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — a contest
  19. swing — music
  20. bear — the animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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