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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: face · date · firm · spring · rock · chip · march · row

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chip — to eat
  5. spring — of water
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — decided
  8. face — to point toward
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. spring — a coil
  13. firm — steady
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — for betting
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. march — music
  23. row — to paddle
  24. march — the month

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