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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spell — letters
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — to point toward
  6. spell — a short time
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spell — magic
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cap — a lid
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. face — to confront
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. cap — of ice
  23. capital — a city
  24. cap — a hat

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