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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — the fish
  3. cue — a signal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. content — happy
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. content — the amount
  9. face — to confront
  10. ground — a position
  11. net — after costs
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. net — in sport
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — a division
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cue — a hint
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cue — for pool
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. net — for catching
  23. face — part of the head
  24. perch — for a bird

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