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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. degree — from a university
  4. capital — a city
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. capital — money
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. chest — a box
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chest — of your body
  15. face — to point toward
  16. pop — soda
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. degree — temperature
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. face — to confront
  24. degree — an amount

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