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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. rock — a stone
  7. face — part of the head
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. capital — a city
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. ball — a dance
  12. capital — money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wind — moving air
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rock — music
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. branch — a division
  22. face — to confront
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. branch — of a bank

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