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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fine — all right
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — the fish
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — low music
  16. rest — a break
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. fine — high quality
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. march — the month
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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