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

Word bank: calf · capital · rush · nail · face · last · key · fall

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. last — to go on
  4. capital — a city
  5. face — to confront
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. key — in music
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. last — final
  14. fall — to drop
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. key — for a lock
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — money
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. key — the most important part
  24. rush — hurry

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