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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mine — for digging
  5. kid — to tease
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — boats
  8. key — the most important part
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. face — to point toward
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — a skill
  21. key — for a lock
  22. squash — to crush
  23. squash — the sport
  24. branch — a division

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