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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. march — the month
  3. squash — the sport
  4. tube — a container
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. face — to point toward
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. clip — a video
  9. squash — to crush
  10. craft — a skill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. march — music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. craft — boats
  21. face — part of the head
  22. clip — for paper
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — a safe

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