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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. march — the month
  10. swing — to play on
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. shower — to wash
  13. swing — in golf
  14. shower — rain
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. toast — bread
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. march — music
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. face — to point toward
  22. swing — music
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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