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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: face · swing · rush · key · sharp · ruler · fork · last

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. rush — hurry
  3. swing — to play on
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. face — to confront
  7. key — in music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — to go on
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. key — for a lock
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fork — in a road
  20. last — finally
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. swing — music
  24. key — the most important part

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