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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mark — a trace
  5. face — part of the head
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mark — a grade
  10. capital — a city
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. capital — money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. date — the fruit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. face — to confront
  21. game — a match
  22. fork — in a road
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. suit — in cards

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