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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. face — to confront
  4. saw — the tool
  5. face — part of the head
  6. can — a tin
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rule — government
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. last — finally
  15. saw — the tool
  16. can — to be able to
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. face — to point toward
  19. field — farmland
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — for sport
  22. last — final
  23. can — a tin
  24. safe — out of danger

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