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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.

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: march · mark · pit · sharp · face · root · leaves · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — part of the head
  3. root — of a plant
  4. march — the month
  5. face — to point toward
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. march — music
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mark — a trace
  13. root — of a word
  14. root — the cause
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. face — to confront
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pit — a hole
  21. mark — a grade
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pit — in a race
  24. leaves — lets stay

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