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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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. toast — bread
  4. face — part of the head
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. kick — in football
  7. saw — the tool
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chair — a leader
  13. face — to point toward
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. branch — a division
  16. prune — to trim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. toast — the most admired

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