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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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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 · rock · snap · fall · face · cap · bowl · staff

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. face — to point toward
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. face — to confront
  9. rock — music
  10. staff — a stick
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — a lid
  13. fall — to drop
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. face — part of the head
  17. snap — to click
  18. staff — employees
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. staff — employees
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. march — the month
  24. bowl — a football final

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