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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — to tease
  3. face — to point toward
  4. spring — of water
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — a coil
  8. face — part of the head
  9. spring — the season
  10. staff — employees
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. staff — employees
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the fish
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. bass — low music
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — hurry
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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