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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. foot — the bottom
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. march — the month
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lean — to bend
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — music
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — to visit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. march — the month
  18. lean — thin
  19. chest — a box
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. face — to point toward

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