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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  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. face — to confront
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cue — a hint
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. current — happening now
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cue — a signal
  11. current — electric
  12. face — to point toward
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — a division
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. cue — for pool
  23. current — of water
  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