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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. wound — an injury
  6. face — part of the head
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. pit — in a race
  10. face — to confront
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a dance
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ball — a great time
  19. face — to point toward
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. pit — a hole
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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