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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. face — to point toward
  6. branch — a division
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. march — music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. march — the month
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. march — the month
  20. dip — to sink
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to confront
  24. dip — to dunk

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