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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. march — the month
  4. fall — to drop
  5. spell — magic
  6. capital — a city
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. face — part of the head
  11. track — a song
  12. bound — certain
  13. march — music
  14. fall — the season
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. track — to keep track
  18. march — the month
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spell — letters
  23. track — a path
  24. fall — to drop

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