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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. capital — a city
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. prune — to trim
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. capital — money
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. face — part of the head
  14. season — in sport
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — to handle
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. season — of the year
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. face — to confront

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