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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wind — moving air
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a match
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. branch — of a tree

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