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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. deal — to handle
  8. court — of a king
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — to confront
  11. mug — to rob
  12. court — of law
  13. mug — a face
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. branch — a division
  18. snap — to click
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. mug — a cup
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — a trail
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. nail — for a hammer

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