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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mark — a grade
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. capital — a city
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. face — to point toward
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. foot — a measure
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mark — a trace
  16. face — to confront
  17. content — the amount
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. game — a match
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. content — happy
  24. capital — money

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