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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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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: last · fine · face · shower · jam · file · hide · date

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. file — a line of people
  3. shower — to wash
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. last — to go on
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. face — part of the head
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. file — a document
  12. date — the fruit
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. last — final
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. face — to point toward
  22. shower — rain
  23. fine — all right
  24. face — to confront

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