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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. scale — size or range
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. sharp — clever
  5. face — to point toward
  6. scale — in music
  7. bat — the animal
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. capital — money
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. capital — a city
  15. face — part of the head
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. face — to confront
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — a series
  24. lie — to recline

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