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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. last — finally
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — what's left
  8. last — final
  9. band — a ring
  10. rest — a break
  11. hand — in cards
  12. object — a thing
  13. last — to go on
  14. object — to protest
  15. hand — help
  16. current — happening now
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. face — to confront
  21. object — an aim
  22. rest — what's left
  23. current — of water
  24. current — electric

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