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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: face · hand · last · wound · mug · cue · land · jam

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. last — to go on
  3. face — part of the head
  4. land — to come down
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — to confront
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mug — a face
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. land — a country
  11. last — finally
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — help
  15. mug — a cup
  16. land — ground
  17. last — final
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. cue — a signal
  20. cue — a hint
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. mug — to rob
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cue — for pool

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