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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — a division
  4. present — a gift
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. perch — the fish
  8. snap — to click
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. staff — employees
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. fine — high quality
  14. staff — employees
  15. face — to point toward
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. face — part of the head

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