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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 124 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · leaves · pass · march · clip · saw · rest · roll

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. face — to confront
  3. march — music
  4. pass — a permit
  5. roll — a cake
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. clip — to cut
  11. roll — a list
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rest — a break
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. clip — a video
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. clip — for paper
  20. face — to point toward
  21. march — the month
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — the tool

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