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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · face · hide · march · mark · pitcher · ruler · stick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. face — to confront
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. march — the month
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. fan — to cool the air

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