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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. present — there
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. present — a gift
  13. rash — hasty
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. kid — child
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bank — for money
  20. rash — a series
  21. present — the time now
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. face — to confront
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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