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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. face — to confront
  3. rest — what's left
  4. track — a song
  5. last — final
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rest — a break
  13. track — a path
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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