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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: face · kick · vault · last · racket · toast · leaves · wind

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. kick — in football
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. last — finally
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. face — part of the head
  17. vault — a safe
  18. last — final
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — to go on

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