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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. object — an aim
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. object — a thing
  5. march — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fall — to drop
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — to confront
  11. ground — crushed
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — a hole
  16. face — part of the head
  17. object — to protest
  18. deal — to handle
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fall — to drop
  22. march — the month
  23. march — the month
  24. fall — the season

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