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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: face · roll · hide · pitcher · last · deal · bulb · wake

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. roll — a cake
  3. bulb — for light
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. wake — a trail
  7. face — part of the head
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. roll — a list
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. deal — to handle
  15. face — to confront
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bulb — for light
  18. last — to go on
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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