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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a tool
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — part of the head
  5. last — finally
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. face — to point toward
  9. file — a line of people
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. face — to confront
  12. last — to go on
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. file — a document
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — music
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wind — moving air
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. swing — in golf
  24. temple — side 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