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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. face — part of the head
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. swing — music
  5. last — finally
  6. stock — shares
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. court — of a king
  10. march — the month
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. face — to confront
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. swing — in golf
  16. last — final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — of law
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — goods
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tube — a container
  24. stock — a soup base

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