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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 116 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: fine · last · mug · current · face · pop · race · calf

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — to go on
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. face — to point toward
  6. race — humankind
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. last — final
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to confront
  11. current — happening now
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. fine — high quality
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. pop — to visit
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. mug — a cup
  24. fine — all right

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