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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: bat · march · rush · face · cabinet · bark · rest · toast

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. face — to confront
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. toast — bread
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. march — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. face — to point toward
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — a break
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rest — what's left
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. march — the month

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