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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. spring — the season
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — a city
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. face — to confront
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bear — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. capital — money

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