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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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 — to confront
  2. game — a match
  3. cap — a lid
  4. branch — a division
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — wild animals
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bat — the animal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. face — part of the head
  23. cap — of ice
  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