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

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. swing — music
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. march — the month
  8. pop — soda
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to confront
  11. swing — in golf
  12. kick — in football
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. face — part of the head
  15. pass — a permit
  16. rule — a law
  17. pop — to visit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rule — government
  20. pop — music
  21. march — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — with a leg

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