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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — a permit
  3. last — to go on
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. face — to point toward
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. last — finally
  11. march — the month
  12. last — final
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. march — music
  18. branch — a division

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