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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — finally
  3. face — to confront
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. last — to go on
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. swing — in golf
  10. staff — a stick
  11. swing — music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — not warm
  20. shower — rain
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — final
  23. shower — to wash
  24. face — part 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