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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mug — a face
  8. track — a song
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. face — to point toward
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — a trail
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. mug — to rob
  21. track — a path
  22. mug — a cup
  23. chair — a leader
  24. march — the month

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