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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — to point toward
  3. net — for catching
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. march — the month
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. shower — rain
  13. march — music
  14. mark — a grade
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. net — in sport
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. face — to confront
  19. stock — goods
  20. net — after costs
  21. stock — shares
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — to wash

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