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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. face — to point toward
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mug — to rob
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. swing — to play on
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. mug — a face
  10. tear — to rip
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — music
  13. pit — in a race
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. capital — money
  18. game — wild animals
  19. swing — in golf
  20. face — part of the head
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pit — a hole
  23. capital — a city
  24. face — to confront

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