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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. face — to confront
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. cue — a signal
  5. scale — in music
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bat — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — part of the head
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. cue — for pool
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bank — for money
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bank — of a river

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