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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. face — to confront
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. kid — to tease
  9. capital — a city
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. face — to point toward
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. capital — money
  19. saw — the tool
  20. face — part of the head
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. bear — the animal

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