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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ground — crushed
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ground — a position
  5. face — to confront
  6. season — of the year
  7. ground — the earth
  8. dip — to sink
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fine — high quality
  11. field — a subject
  12. face — to point toward
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. season — in sport
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. field — farmland
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. field — for sport
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. branch — a division

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