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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — the tool
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. face — to point toward
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. face — to confront
  7. foot — a measure
  8. face — part of the head
  9. march — the month
  10. mark — a grade
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. march — the month
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mark — a trace
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. march — music

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