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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cue — for pool
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — to point toward
  8. sharp — clever
  9. rock — music
  10. last — to go on
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bat — the animal
  14. file — a document
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. file — a tool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — for money
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bank — of a river
  22. face — part of the head
  23. last — final
  24. rock — to move gently

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