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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. face — to point toward
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. rule — government
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. field — a subject
  14. net — in sport
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rule — a law
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. field — farmland
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. net — for catching
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bass — low music

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