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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. object — to protest
  3. face — to point toward
  4. capital — a city
  5. charge — in control
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — a thing
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — money
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. charge — a price
  15. shower — rain
  16. face — to confront
  17. shower — to wash
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — child
  22. face — part of the head
  23. charge — electricity
  24. branch — of a tree

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