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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. object — a thing
  3. branch — a division
  4. date — the fruit
  5. face — to confront
  6. march — the month
  7. key — the most important part
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. object — an aim
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — in football
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — to point toward
  14. current — electric
  15. key — for a lock
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. face — part of the head
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. current — of water
  20. march — the month
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. key — in music
  24. march — music

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