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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. face — to point toward
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. band — a music group
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. face — part of the head
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. fine — all right
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. band — a ring
  23. fine — high quality
  24. vault — a safe

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