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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a line of people
  5. face — to confront
  6. snap — to click
  7. file — a document
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. file — a tool
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bear — the animal
  13. last — final
  14. last — finally
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spell — magic
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — a short time
  20. firm — steady
  21. last — to go on
  22. firm — decided
  23. spell — letters
  24. bear — to put up with

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