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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — government
  8. rule — a law
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. branch — a division
  12. face — to point toward
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to confront
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — for catching
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. net — after costs
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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