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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: suit · last · rest · face · cold · mouse · wave · capital

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rest — a break
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. suit — clothes
  13. last — final
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. last — to go on
  16. rest — what's left
  17. capital — money
  18. face — to point toward
  19. rest — what's left
  20. face — to confront
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  24. last — finally

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