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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. saw — the tool
  3. firm — a company
  4. drill — army training
  5. saw — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. branch — a division
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cell — in biology
  10. firm — decided
  11. cell — a phone
  12. firm — steady
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. mate — a partner
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. roll — a list
  19. mate — to breed
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. drill — the tool
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cell — in a prison

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