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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. 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 — to confront
  2. bass — low music
  3. face — part of the head
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. capital — money
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bass — the fish
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. capital — a city
  19. chip — for betting
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. 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