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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wound — an injury
  5. branch — a division
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. track — a song
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. track — a path
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — a subject
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — for sport
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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