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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. track — a song
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bank — for money
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ball — a dance
  10. squash — the sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. board — a committee
  13. bank — of a river
  14. board — to get on
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bank — for money
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. net — for catching
  24. squash — to crush

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