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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. face — to confront
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. face — to point toward
  6. capital — money
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — a path
  13. cue — a signal
  14. track — a song
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of a king
  19. suit — clothes
  20. cue — for pool
  21. capital — a city
  22. court — of law
  23. suit — in cards
  24. cue — a hint

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