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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. face — part of the head
  3. march — the month
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. face — to confront
  7. last — to go on
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rock — music
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — the underground
  17. last — final
  18. tube — a container
  19. march — music
  20. last — finally
  21. track — a song
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. track — a path
  24. roll — a list

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