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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 116 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 bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — for a lock
  4. march — music
  5. face — part of the head
  6. deal — to handle
  7. key — in music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. spell — letters
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. spell — a short time
  13. march — the month
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. chair — a leader
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cap — a lid
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — a division
  22. cap — a hat
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cap — of ice

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