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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bass — low music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bass — the fish
  7. face — to point toward
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. face — to confront
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — a division
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ground — a position
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. ground — crushed

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