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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. face — to point toward
  3. capital — money
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — a city
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — to wash
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. shower — rain
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. game — a match
  20. face — to confront
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. face — part of the head

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