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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. face — to confront
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bank — for money
  7. face — part of the head
  8. degree — temperature
  9. march — the month
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mug — a cup
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — child
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. kid — to tease
  17. mug — a face
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mug — to rob
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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