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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. pound — a weight
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bank — for money
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bank — for money
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bank — of a river
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire

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