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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — final
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. degree — temperature
  6. fine — all right
  7. mark — a grade
  8. last — to go on
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — finally
  11. degree — an amount
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. net — in sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. net — for catching
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. degree — from a university
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fine — high quality
  23. net — after costs
  24. fine — a penalty

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