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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. branch — a division
  3. last — final
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. last — to go on
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. last — finally
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. face — to confront
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. track — a song
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ball — a great time
  23. fork — in a road
  24. branch — of a tree

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