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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. branch — a division
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cue — a signal
  5. face — to confront
  6. mate — to breed
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — clever
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. face — to point toward
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. cue — for pool
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — a partner

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