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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. capital — a city
  3. present — a gift
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. present — the time now
  6. kick — in football
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. squash — to crush
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. face — to confront
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. vault — a safe
  19. chip — for betting
  20. present — there
  21. row — to paddle
  22. capital — money
  23. chip — to eat
  24. row — a line

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