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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 120 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 · drill · fine · deal · march · face · capital · saw

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. capital — money
  4. face — to confront
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. drill — army training
  7. face — part of the head
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. saw — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. object — an aim
  14. object — to protest
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — to handle
  17. object — a thing
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. capital — a city
  20. fine — high quality
  21. drill — the tool
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to point toward
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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