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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. capital — money
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — to eat
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — the tool
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. capital — a city
  13. face — to confront
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. perch — the fish
  16. tear — to rip
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. face — part of the head
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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