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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. chest — of your body
  6. present — the time now
  7. branch — a division
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chest — a box
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. chest — of your body
  15. squash — to crush
  16. face — to point toward
  17. present — a gift
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. present — there
  21. wound — an injury
  22. court — of law
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — help

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