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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: wake · march · cap · chair · face · bore · roll · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. roll — a list
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bore — to tire
  17. cap — of ice
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bore — to drill
  21. march — the month
  22. cap — a hat
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. face — part of the head

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