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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 116 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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. face — to confront
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — a country
  6. capital — a city
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wake — a trail
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. face — to point toward
  19. land — ground
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. face — part of the head
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — to come down
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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