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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. degree — temperature
  3. capital — money
  4. face — to confront
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitch — completely
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. degree — from a university
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. degree — an amount
  19. cap — of ice
  20. face — to point toward
  21. capital — a city
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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