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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. branch — a division
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. spring — a coil
  6. face — part of the head
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. spell — magic
  12. spring — the season
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. spring — of water
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. face — to confront
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. spell — letters
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. face — to point toward
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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