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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spell — magic
  3. last — finally
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — to point toward
  10. spell — a short time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. face — part of the head
  15. last — to go on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — to confront
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — letters
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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