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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: march · straw · roll · pass · squash · mark · rash · face

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. pass — a permit
  3. mark — a trace
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mark — a grade
  8. roll — a list
  9. march — the month
  10. squash — to crush
  11. march — the month
  12. face — to confront
  13. squash — the sport
  14. march — music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. roll — a cake
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. face — to point toward
  23. rash — hasty
  24. pass — to spend time

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