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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. bank — of a river
  6. spell — letters
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — a short time
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bank — for money
  13. face — to point toward
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rash — a series
  19. pit — a hole
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — magic
  24. pit — in a race

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