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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 120 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. face — part of the head
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. last — to go on
  6. suit — clothes
  7. degree — temperature
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. degree — an amount
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. last — final
  14. deal — to handle
  15. face — to point toward
  16. suit — to fit
  17. face — to confront
  18. suit — in cards
  19. degree — from a university
  20. content — happy
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. content — the amount
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. perch — the fish

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