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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. file — a tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. last — finally
  6. cue — a hint
  7. fall — the season
  8. face — part of the head
  9. track — to keep track
  10. last — to go on
  11. saw — the tool
  12. track — a song
  13. last — final
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. file — a document
  21. face — to confront
  22. track — a path
  23. file — a line of people
  24. toast — bread

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