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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. race — the arms race
  3. face — to confront
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. last — to go on
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. suit — in cards
  9. clip — a video
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. face — to point toward
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — a cup
  14. last — final
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. season — in sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wake — a trail
  21. clip — to cut
  22. last — finally
  23. suit — to fit
  24. clip — for paper

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