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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. face — part of the head
  3. capital — a city
  4. rock — a stone
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. degree — temperature
  11. sharp — clever
  12. craft — boats
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. craft — a skill
  15. capital — money
  16. mug — to rob
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. face — to confront
  21. degree — from a university
  22. face — to point toward
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rock — music

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