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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rush — hurry
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. dip — to sink
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. ground — a position
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ground — the earth
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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