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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fall — the season
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — in sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. net — after costs
  18. club — for golf
  19. face — to confront
  20. club — for dancing
  21. chip — to eat
  22. club — a group
  23. chip — for betting
  24. branch — of a tree

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