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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. march — the month
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. march — music
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. march — the month
  11. bound — certain
  12. clip — to cut
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. sharp — clever
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. clip — for paper
  20. clip — a video
  21. bound — tied together
  22. chair — a leader
  23. face — to confront
  24. chair — to sit on

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