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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to point toward
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — all right
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. capital — money
  9. ground — crushed
  10. face — to confront
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. fine — high quality
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — a position
  19. squash — the sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bass — low music
  22. squash — to crush
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bass — the fish

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