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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. capital — a city
  4. pop — to visit
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rest — a break
  7. face — to confront
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. capital — money
  11. bank — for money
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bank — for money
  17. fine — high quality
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pop — soda
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pop — music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rest — what's left

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