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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. capital — a city
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. capital — money
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cap — a hat
  16. degree — from a university
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. face — to point toward
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. degree — temperature
  24. cue — a hint

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