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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chest — of your body
  3. land — ground
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chest — a box
  6. pop — music
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. land — a country
  9. face — to confront
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. land — to come down
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pop — soda
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — to point toward
  19. march — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. staff — employees
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. staff — a stick

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