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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — to confront
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. club — for golf
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — a division
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. lie — to recline
  11. kick — in football
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. club — a group
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. face — part of the head
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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