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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. suit — clothes
  3. capital — a city
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cap — a hat
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. cue — for pool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — in cards
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to point toward
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cue — a hint
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. capital — money
  22. suit — to fit
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cue — a signal

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