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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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468
Word bank
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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. root — of a plant
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. capital — a city
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitch — completely
  11. root — of a word
  12. bear — the animal
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. content — happy
  16. root — the cause
  17. craft — boats
  18. content — the amount
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. face — part of the head
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. craft — a skill
  24. content — videos and posts

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