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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pass — a permit
  6. present — there
  7. march — the month
  8. swing — music
  9. fine — high quality
  10. present — the time now
  11. pop — music
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. march — the month
  14. fine — all right
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pop — soda
  18. present — a gift
  19. swing — in golf
  20. march — music
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. face — to point toward
  24. fine — a penalty

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