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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. ball — a dance
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stand — to bear
  6. face — to confront
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. capital — money
  10. craft — boats
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. capital — a city
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. face — to point toward
  16. craft — a skill
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rule — a law
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. rule — government

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