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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. field — farmland
  6. mate — a friend
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a partner
  9. capital — money
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. face — to confront
  12. mate — to breed
  13. capital — a city
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — a subject
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ball — a dance
  20. face — part of the head
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. trunk — of a car

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