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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: roll · date · jam · face · stick · suit · march · chest

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. face — to confront
  3. chest — of your body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. march — music
  7. face — to point toward
  8. march — the month
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — the month
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. suit — in cards
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chest — a box
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. suit — to fit
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. date — the fruit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. face — part of the head

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