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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. march — the month
  8. chip — to eat
  9. fall — the season
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. pound — a weight
  13. content — happy
  14. last — final
  15. current — electric
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — to go on
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. last — finally
  22. content — the amount
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chip — for betting

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