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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. face — part of the head
  4. can — to be able to
  5. march — the month
  6. face — to confront
  7. present — the time now
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. present — a gift
  10. can — a tin
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. face — to point toward
  15. cap — of ice
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — a lid
  18. can — a tin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — there
  21. roll — a cake
  22. march — the month
  23. roll — a list
  24. cap — a hat

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