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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. game — a match
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — to confront
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. march — the month
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. march — music
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — the month
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rock — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. spell — letters
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. pound — a weight

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