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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. capital — a city
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ball — a great time
  9. suit — clothes
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. suit — to fit
  12. branch — a division
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. suit — in cards
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. calf — a young animal

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