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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. face — to confront
  3. hand — in cards
  4. bear — the animal
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lean — to bend
  9. degree — from a university
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. toast — bread
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. degree — an amount
  16. lean — thin
  17. degree — temperature
  18. bear — the animal
  19. hand — help
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — to point toward
  23. fork — in a road
  24. lean — to rest against

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