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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — a short time
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. face — to point toward
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pit — a hole
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — the cause
  15. perch — the fish
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spell — letters
  18. pit — in a race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. root — of a word
  24. spell — magic

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