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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bank — for money
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. face — to confront
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. march — music
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bank — of a river
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. face — to point toward
  13. capital — a city
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — part of the head
  17. capital — money
  18. march — the month
  19. mark — a trace
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. chair — a leader
  24. mark — a grade

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