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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. face — to confront
  4. field — a subject
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. branch — a division
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. face — to point toward
  9. face — part of the head
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bound — certain
  12. chip — for betting
  13. field — for sport
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. field — farmland
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rock — music
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bound — tied together

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