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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: face · pitcher · cold · ball · date · suit · branch · nail

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — to confront
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. face — part of the head
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — to fit
  10. face — to point toward
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. branch — a division
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. cold — an illness
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — of a bank

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