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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. face — to confront
  4. last — finally
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bank — for money
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. ball — a dance
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — a hole
  19. last — final
  20. branch — a division
  21. pit — in a race
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. face — to point toward
  24. perch — for a bird

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