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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. last — final
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. face — part of the head
  6. game — wild animals
  7. last — to go on
  8. row — to paddle
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tube — the underground
  12. row — a line
  13. mate — a partner
  14. object — a thing
  15. object — to protest
  16. mate — to breed
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. object — an aim
  19. mate — a friend
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — a match
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. tube — a container

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