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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: toast · rule · face · bark · wave · stick · last · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. toast — bread
  6. rule — government
  7. last — to go on
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — to confront
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bark — to shout
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. fine — high quality
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. rule — a law
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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