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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. mate — to breed
  7. march — music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. drill — the tool
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. face — part of the head
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. club — a group
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. face — to confront
  21. club — for dancing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. club — for golf

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