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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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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: band · cabinet · pit · face · snap · march · bore · firm

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. face — part of the head
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to confront
  6. firm — steady
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. firm — a company
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bore — to tire
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to click
  19. firm — decided
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pit — a hole
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bore — to drill
  24. band — a rubber band

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