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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. capital — a city
  3. stem — to come from
  4. net — after costs
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. face — to point toward
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — for catching
  13. face — to confront
  14. rock — music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — a group
  17. rock — a stone
  18. capital — money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for dancing
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. net — in sport
  24. club — for golf

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