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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. face — to confront
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. squash — to crush
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. degree — temperature
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. branch — a division
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. degree — an amount
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. degree — from a university
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — a weight
  18. face — part of the head
  19. ball — a dance
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. squash — the sport
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pound — to hit hard

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