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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.

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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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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: toast · march · ground · kid · leaves · face · pit · rash

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pit — a hole
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. toast — bread
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. ground — a position
  16. march — the month
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. kid — child
  19. face — to point toward
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. rash — hasty
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — in a race

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