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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spell — magic
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. branch — a division
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cold — not warm
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spell — letters
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cold — an illness
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — a supporter

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