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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. swing — in golf
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. swing — to play on
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. swing — music
  18. mark — a grade
  19. roll — a list
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a cake
  24. cell — a phone

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