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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. mate — to breed
  3. face — to confront
  4. staff — employees
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mug — a face
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. staff — employees
  11. mate — a friend
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wind — moving air
  24. capital — money

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