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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. face — to confront
  3. pit — in a race
  4. face — to point toward
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ground — crushed
  7. ground — the earth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. roll — a list
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — rain
  18. branch — a division
  19. bound — certain
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. face — part of the head
  24. pit — a hole

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