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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. drill — army training
  3. track — a song
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. toast — bread
  8. mark — a trace
  9. march — music
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. track — a path
  16. drill — the tool
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. march — the month
  19. face — to confront
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wound — an injury
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. march — the month

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