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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: saw · content · vault · last · hand · rush · face · root

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  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. rush — hurry
  3. face — to point toward
  4. content — the amount
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. last — to go on
  7. hand — help
  8. vault — a safe
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — final
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. face — part of the head
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. saw — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. root — the cause
  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