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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. stand — to bear
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — a gift
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. present — there
  10. band — a music group
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — part of the head
  17. game — a match
  18. band — a ring
  19. sharp — clever
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. game — wild animals
  24. jam — in traffic

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