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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. season — in sport
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. face — to point toward
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — to go on
  10. chest — a box
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. roll — a cake
  13. last — final
  14. season — of the year
  15. ground — a position
  16. chest — of your body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. chest — of your body
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — the earth
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. last — finally
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — to add flavour

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