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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rest · clip · last · saw · suit · face · mine · temple

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. rest — a break
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mine — for digging
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. last — finally
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. face — to point toward
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. clip — to cut
  15. suit — clothes
  16. rest — what's left
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. clip — a video
  19. clip — for paper
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. suit — to fit
  22. face — to confront
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. saw — the tool

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