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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bank — for money
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. row — to paddle
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. last — final
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. face — to point toward
  14. capital — a city
  15. bank — of a river
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — part of the head
  21. last — finally
  22. capital — money
  23. face — to confront
  24. bank — for 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