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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bound — tied together
  3. face — to point toward
  4. scale — size or range
  5. key — for a lock
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. march — music
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bound — obliged
  12. scale — in music
  13. key — in music
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pound — a weight
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. march — the month
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. key — the most important part
  21. march — the month
  22. plane — a tool
  23. bound — certain
  24. scale — for weighing

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