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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. kid — child
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — to confront
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. branch — a division
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mark — a trace
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mark — a grade
  19. plane — a tool
  20. face — part of the head
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. plane — in geometry

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