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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. wind — moving air
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. object — to protest
  5. rush — hurry
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. face — to confront
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. capital — a city
  11. object — an aim
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — money
  15. firm — a company
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — a thing
  20. perch — the fish
  21. can — to be able to
  22. firm — steady
  23. firm — decided
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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