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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. face — part of the head
  4. court — for sport
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. branch — a division
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. fine — high quality
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. last — final
  11. face — to point toward
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fine — all right
  18. chair — a leader
  19. last — to go on
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bore — to tire
  24. last — finally

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