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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — all right
  3. march — music
  4. board — a committee
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. last — finally
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. last — final
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. board — to get on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pound — a weight
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. last — to go on
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. fine — high quality
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — to hit hard

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