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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. track — a path
  7. march — the month
  8. pitch — completely
  9. face — to confront
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lean — thin
  17. track — a song
  18. plane — a tool
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. face — to point toward
  22. march — music
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. plane — an aircraft

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