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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spell — a short time
  3. spell — letters
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. net — for catching
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. net — after costs
  14. chest — of your body
  15. spell — magic
  16. net — in sport
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. chest — a box
  19. fine — high quality
  20. face — to confront
  21. fine — all right
  22. march — the month
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rush — hurry

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