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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 · object · kick · cabinet · date · rash · roll · face

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. object — a thing
  5. last — final
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. roll — a list
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. object — to protest
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. rash — a series
  16. face — to point toward
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. kick — in football
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. last — to go on
  21. face — to confront
  22. last — finally
  23. object — an aim
  24. face — part of the head

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