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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. cue — for pool
  3. fine — high quality
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. cue — a hint
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. rule — a law
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. branch — a division
  19. fine — all right
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — to confront
  24. rule — government

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