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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. saw — the tool
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. face — to confront
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. season — of the year
  14. face — part of the head
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. deal — to handle
  18. game — wild animals
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. branch — a division
  22. game — a match
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. face — to point toward

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