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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wake — a trail
  3. face — to confront
  4. field — a subject
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. capital — a city
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pop — soda
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pop — music
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pop — to visit
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cell — a phone
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  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