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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. face — part of the head
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — a tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. face — to confront
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — shares
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. deal — to handle
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to point toward
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stock — goods
  23. cue — a signal
  24. capital — 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