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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · leaves · calf · rest · face · last

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rest — what's left
  7. face — to confront
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. face — to point toward
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. last — final
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rest — a break
  14. face — part of the head
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — to go on
  17. object — a thing
  18. last — finally

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