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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. vault — a safe
  8. face — part of the head
  9. staff — employees
  10. shower — rain
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — to point toward
  15. staff — employees
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — a stick
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. leaves — of a tree

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