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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. face — to confront
  3. rash — hasty
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — a path
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. last — final
  10. fall — the season
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — to wash
  13. last — finally
  14. rash — a series
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mark — a trace
  18. fall — to drop
  19. track — to keep track
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. track — a song

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