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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. bass — low music
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. wound — an injury
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — an aim
  11. face — part of the head
  12. foot — a measure
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bass — the fish
  17. object — a thing
  18. wound — an injury
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. object — to protest

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