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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. face — to confront
  4. lean — to bend
  5. band — a ring
  6. bound — tied together
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. face — part of the head
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lean — thin
  13. game — wild animals
  14. march — the month
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — certain
  19. band — a music group
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. game — a match
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. march — music
  24. leaves — of a tree

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