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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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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wound — an injury
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. branch — a division
  8. kick — in football
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. race — the arms race
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. race — humankind
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cold — not warm
  21. race — a contest
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stand — to bear
  24. ruler — for measuring

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