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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 116 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. face — part of the head
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. face — to confront
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rule — government
  14. face — to point toward
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bank — for money
  17. scale — in music
  18. rule — a law

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