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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: toast · current · drill · pass · last · spell · face · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — magic
  3. march — music
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. last — final
  9. spell — letters
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. current — electric
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. march — the month
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. last — finally
  19. spell — a short time
  20. drill — army training
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. last — to go on
  23. pass — a permit
  24. toast — bread

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