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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. face — to confront
  3. chair — a leader
  4. march — the month
  5. root — the cause
  6. root — of a word
  7. bass — the fish
  8. march — the month
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — part of the head
  20. root — of a plant
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bass — low 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