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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: bound · face · drill · content · safe · march · mate · swing

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. content — the amount
  3. face — to confront
  4. content — happy
  5. face — part of the head
  6. drill — the tool
  7. march — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. march — the month
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mate — a partner
  12. bound — tied together
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — army training
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bound — obliged
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mate — to breed
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. swing — music
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — a friend
  24. safe — out of danger

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