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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — to confront
  6. branch — a division
  7. face — to point toward
  8. land — ground
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. land — a country
  11. cold — an illness
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a grade
  17. lean — thin
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lean — to bend
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. face — part of the head
  23. land — to come down
  24. toast — the most admired

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