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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wax — to grow
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a city
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. firm — a company
  12. face — to confront
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. face — part of the head
  17. firm — decided
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. current — electric
  21. current — of water
  22. capital — money
  23. firm — steady
  24. face — to point toward

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