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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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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 · pit · race · charge · shower · coach · face · row

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. face — part of the head
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. race — humankind
  7. charge — electricity
  8. march — the month
  9. face — to point toward
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. race — a contest
  12. shower — rain
  13. charge — a price
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. row — to paddle
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — a line
  21. march — the month
  22. charge — in control
  23. pit — a hole
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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