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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. fork — in a road
  3. net — after costs
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. march — music
  9. drill — a practice
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. drill — the tool
  13. march — the month
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. drill — army training
  17. rock — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. face — to point toward
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rock — a stone
  24. temple — a place of worship

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