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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. drill — army training
  3. wound — an injury
  4. firm — a company
  5. drill — a practice
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mug — to rob
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mug — a cup
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. drill — the tool
  15. firm — decided
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. firm — steady
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. march — the month
  21. hand — help
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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