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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bound — certain
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. fine — all right
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — to shout
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bound — tied together
  17. chair — a leader
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. fine — high quality
  24. face — to confront

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