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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 120 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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. lean — thin
  3. capital — money
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. face — part of the head
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. face — to point toward
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. capital — a city
  14. face — to confront
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cue — a signal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a hint

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