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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bound — certain
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. last — finally
  6. bank — for money
  7. clip — a video
  8. last — to go on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. last — final
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bound — obliged
  15. face — part of the head
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bank — for money
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rock — music
  24. face — to confront

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