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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bear — the animal
  3. kid — to tease
  4. face — to confront
  5. rest — what's left
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. march — the month
  8. spell — magic
  9. bear — the animal
  10. drill — the tool
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. spell — a short time
  14. face — to point toward
  15. spell — letters
  16. march — the month
  17. rest — what's left
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kid — child
  20. face — part of the head
  21. drill — army training
  22. current — of water
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. march — 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