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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. bound — certain
  3. rest — what's left
  4. face — part of the head
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rest — what's left
  7. kid — to tease
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — obliged
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bound — tied together
  12. squash — the sport
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. face — to point toward
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. face — to confront
  24. branch — a division

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