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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. suit — clothes
  6. ground — a position
  7. last — final
  8. net — after costs
  9. face — to point toward
  10. last — finally
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. face — part of the head
  13. saw — the tool
  14. branch — a division
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. suit — to fit
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. face — to confront
  19. net — in sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. ground — the earth
  22. suit — in cards
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. net — for catching

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