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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — a division
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — in control
  11. charge — a price
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. land — ground
  14. face — to confront
  15. charge — electricity
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bound — certain
  18. face — part of the head
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bound — obliged
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. land — a country

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