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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. face — part of the head
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. bound — certain
  7. face — to confront
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. march — music
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bound — obliged
  20. march — the month
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. face — to point toward

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