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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: last · march · bound · pitcher · game · patient · face · craft

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bound — obliged
  4. face — to point toward
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. march — the month
  7. last — finally
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. face — to confront
  14. march — the month
  15. bound — tied together
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bound — certain
  23. craft — boats
  24. pitcher — a jug

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