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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. last — final
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — finally
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. face — to point toward
  15. object — to protest
  16. face — part of the head
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. object — a thing
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — a division
  22. object — an aim
  23. cell — in biology
  24. chair — a leader

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