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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. face — to point toward
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wake — a trail
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pop — to visit
  10. march — music
  11. pass — a permit
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. face — to confront
  15. pop — soda
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — music
  24. march — the month

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