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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bat — the animal
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. scale — in music
  7. pop — to visit
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — of ice
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pop — soda
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. scale — size or range
  19. cap — a hat
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cap — a lid
  22. branch — a division
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. dip — to dunk

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