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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  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. spell — a short time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. face — to confront
  6. spell — letters
  7. wake — a trail
  8. last — final
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — magic
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. key — in music
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — to point toward
  23. key — for a lock
  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