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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: mark · stand · mine · face · roll · last · pop · sharp

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mine — for digging
  3. pop — soda
  4. roll — a cake
  5. face — to point toward
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. last — finally
  13. pop — music
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pop — to visit
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. face — to confront
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mark — a trace
  21. last — final
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. last — to go on

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