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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mine — for digging
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bore — to tire
  6. branch — a division
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. face — to confront
  10. last — final
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rest — what's left
  13. degree — an amount
  14. stock — shares
  15. last — to go on
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. last — finally
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. rest — a break
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bore — to drill
  22. stock — goods
  23. degree — from a university
  24. branch — of a bank

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