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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. staff — employees
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. file — a tool
  11. can — a tin
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — a grade
  14. can — a tin
  15. face — to confront
  16. file — a document
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. file — a line of people
  20. net — for catching
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mark — a trace

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