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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rash — a series
  3. rest — what's left
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bass — the fish
  11. last — to go on
  12. march — music
  13. face — to confront
  14. last — finally
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — a break
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rash — hasty
  24. last — final

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