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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: object · face · ruler · march · pitch · roll · spring · stick

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. face — to confront
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. march — the month
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. object — to protest
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. object — a thing
  13. pitch — completely
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. roll — a cake
  17. face — to point toward
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. face — part of the head
  21. roll — a list
  22. spring — of water
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. spring — a coil

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