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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bound — tied together
  4. club — for golf
  5. bound — certain
  6. club — a group
  7. face — part of the head
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. march — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. club — for dancing
  14. file — a tool
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. face — to point toward
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to tire
  20. file — a document
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bore — to drill
  23. march — the month
  24. foot — a measure

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