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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: rush · ball · face · hand · last · pop · fall · season

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. fall — to drop
  3. season — of the year
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. rush — hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a great time
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — help
  11. pop — music
  12. fall — the season
  13. last — final
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — part of the head
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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