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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. ground — a position
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. club — for golf
  8. wound — an injury
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to point toward
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. date — the fruit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ground — crushed
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. race — the arms race
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — a division
  20. face — to confront
  21. race — humankind
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. race — a contest
  24. date — on the calendar

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