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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. last — to go on
  4. current — electric
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — clever
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. current — happening now
  11. face — to point toward
  12. current — of water
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — part of the head
  24. toast — bread

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