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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 120 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: stand · last · face · safe · foot · object · wind · mouse

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stand — to bear
  6. foot — a measure
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. object — an aim
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. object — to protest
  14. face — part of the head
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. last — final
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. last — finally
  22. object — a thing
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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