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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — magic
  5. season — of the year
  6. bank — for money
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. last — to go on
  10. firm — a company
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. firm — decided
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bank — for money
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. season — in sport
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bank — of a river
  21. firm — steady
  22. face — to confront
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. spell — a short time

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