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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.

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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: face · firm · snap · mark · present · board · wake · march

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. board — a committee
  5. present — there
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. firm — a company
  10. march — the month
  11. firm — decided
  12. face — part of the head
  13. present — the time now
  14. board — to get on
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wake — a trail
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a trace
  20. firm — steady
  21. present — a gift
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mark — a grade
  24. snap — to click

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