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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: coach · pit · march · fine · face · fall · content · pop

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. content — the amount
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. fall — to drop
  8. march — the month
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fall — to drop
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. face — part of the head
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. fall — the season
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — in a race

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