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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. capital — a city
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mug — a cup
  6. root — the cause
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. capital — money
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. root — of a word
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mug — a face
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. root — of a plant
  20. face — to confront
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. face — part of the head
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. perch — 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