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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. face — to confront
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. land — to come down
  8. root — of a plant
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. hand — help
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. root — the cause
  16. face — to point toward
  17. land — ground
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. face — part of the head
  20. last — finally
  21. last — final
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. root — of a word
  24. land — a country

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