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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. pop — to visit
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. face — to confront
  5. track — a song
  6. lean — thin
  7. swing — to play on
  8. capital — a city
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — a path
  12. face — to point toward
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. mug — a face
  16. pop — soda
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. capital — money
  19. mug — to rob
  20. pop — music
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lie — to recline
  24. face — part of the head

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