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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.

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: face · pop · tear · march · rock · capital · content · roll

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. march — music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pop — music
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — the month
  7. capital — money
  8. roll — a cake
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. content — happy
  13. roll — a list
  14. pop — soda
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. face — to point toward
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. content — the amount
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pop — to visit
  22. rock — music
  23. march — the month
  24. capital — a city

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