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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · face · scale · roll · pit · stand · perch · last

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. face — to confront
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. roll — a list
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. scale — in music
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. march — the month
  10. stand — to bear
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pit — a hole
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. roll — a cake
  16. face — part of the head
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. perch — the fish
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pit — in a race
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. last — finally

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