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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. face — to point toward
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. branch — a division
  6. mark — a trace
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — part of the head
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mark — a grade
  16. foot — a measure
  17. track — a song
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. face — to confront
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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