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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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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: mug · court · race · bound · branch · tear · face · pitch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. court — of a king
  3. bound — tied together
  4. face — to point toward
  5. tear — from crying
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to confront
  8. pitch — completely
  9. race — the arms race
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of law
  12. bound — certain
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bound — obliged
  16. race — a contest
  17. mug — a cup
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tear — from crying
  21. mug — a face
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. court — for sport
  24. race — humankind

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