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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 116 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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. march — music
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mug — a cup
  7. face — to point toward
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. face — part of the head
  11. march — the month
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. ball — a dance
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a line
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bank — for money
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mug — a face
  20. bank — of a river
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bank — for money
  24. wind — to turn a key

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