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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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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 · stand · staff · cap · stick · nail · lie · last

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. face — part of the head
  3. last — final
  4. face — to confront
  5. last — finally
  6. staff — employees
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lie — to recline
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. staff — a stick
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — to go on
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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