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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rock — music
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — a division
  5. board — to get on
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wake — a trail
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rock — a stone
  15. snap — to click
  16. face — to confront
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. pitch — completely
  19. board — a committee
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. face — to point toward

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