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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wake — a trail
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — letters
  9. march — the month
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. face — to confront
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. face — to point toward
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. spell — magic
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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