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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. capital — money
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a music group
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. capital — a city
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rock — a stone
  10. key — in music
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. face — part of the head
  13. mark — a grade
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. rock — music
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. key — the most important part
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. key — for a lock
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a ring
  24. face — to point toward

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