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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 116 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. pitch — a sports field
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. court — for sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. court — of a king
  14. rule — government
  15. pass — a permit
  16. court — of law
  17. hand — in cards
  18. rule — a law
  19. pitch — completely
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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