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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to confront
  5. rash — a series
  6. face — to point toward
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. capital — money
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. tube — a container
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. tube — the underground
  21. rash — hasty
  22. mine — for digging
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. capital — a city

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