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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: kid · cap · last · march · face · rule · mate · mark

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — the month
  4. rule — a law
  5. last — finally
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. face — part of the head
  8. kid — to tease
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. last — final
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — of ice
  16. face — to confront
  17. rule — government
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mate — a partner
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mark — a trace

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