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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
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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: press · march · rash · row · rock · last · bay · face

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. last — to go on
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. face — to point toward
  8. press — to push
  9. rock — music
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. march — the month
  12. face — part of the head
  13. last — finally
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. rash — a series
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. row — a line
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. face — to confront
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rock — a stone
  23. press — newspapers
  24. march — music

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