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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cell — a phone
  3. march — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rule — government
  6. pit — a hole
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. face — part of the head
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — music
  14. pit — in a race
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. row — a line
  19. rock — a stone
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wax — to grow

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