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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pit — in a race
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. capital — money
  6. pit — a hole
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. sharp — clever
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. capital — a city
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. face — to confront
  15. wake — a trail
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — to point toward
  18. capital — a big letter

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