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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · cap · game · mate · pass · row · face · branch

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — a partner
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mate — a friend
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. row — to paddle
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. face — part of the head
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. cap — a lid
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cap — a hat
  19. branch — a division
  20. cap — of ice
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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