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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. vault — a safe
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bass — low music
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. branch — a division
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pitch — completely

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