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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 120 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — a face
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tube — a container
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. capital — money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mug — a cup
  12. face — to point toward
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bank — for money
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — the underground
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tube — in a tire
  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