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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: sharp · march · pitcher · cabinet · spring · pit · face · lie

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. march — the month
  6. face — to confront
  7. pit — in a race
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lie — to recline
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spring — a coil
  20. pit — a hole
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — the season
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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