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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 116 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. mark — a grade
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wax — to grow
  11. race — a contest
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to confront
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. bark — to shout
  19. race — humankind
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. race — the arms race
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. mark — a trace

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