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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. face — to confront
  5. board — to get on
  6. last — final
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. snap — to click
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. tear — from crying
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. tear — from crying
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — finally
  16. foot — a measure
  17. last — to go on
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. tear — to rip
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. branch — of a tree

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